The Littlest Archer
by SummersandSmythe
Summary: When a fight with Loki goes wrong, The Avengers have a big problem on their hands. Well, it's actually not that big at all.
1. Chapter 1

_**So, I've got a new obsession, and it's The Avengers. Namely Hawkeye. And I thought this would be a cute little fic to write, so I did! **_

_**I hope you enjoy it!**_

"What the fuck happened?" Fury growled at the group of people in front of him.

"Excuse me Sir," Steve interjected, "But I really think you should watch your language around-" Steve went quiet as Fury's glare settled on him.

"Now I will you ask you one more time, what the hell happened to my agent?" He gestured to Clint, who looked up in fright from his position on Loki's lap. The four year old was like a miniature version of his older self, although his hair was blonder, and his face had a slight angelic look that was not yet broken by his line of work. Not to mention the fact that he was currently trembling in the arms of the one person he'd sworn that he hated the most.

"Loki did it!" Tony was the first to speak up, pointing an accusing finger at the god. "So before anyone goes and puts the blame on me, I would just like to get the point across, that this is his fault."

"This is not my fault, you were the one who initiated the fight." Loki scowled at Tony, his voice harsh.

"Watch your tone," Natasha shot a steely glare at Loki, "He's about ready to start crying again."

Loki looked down at Clint, shifting the boy so he could see his face. Natasha was right, his eyes were wide and watery and he had stubbornly stuck his thumb in his mouth again. Loki sighed, "I'm not mad at you Barton," he said in a bored tone. Clint only stared up at him, tears starting to slip down his face.

"Brother, I suggest you try to be a bit more comforting. He is only a child after all." Thor spoke up, watching Loki interact with Clint.

Loki fought back a scowl, turning his attention back to Clint. He stared down at him, softening his tone, "You're not in trouble Clinton, now can you please calm down and stop the tears?" He looked at Clint expectantly. Clint blinked up at him, sniffling slightly and nodding, bringing his free hand up to wipe away the tears. "There, everything's fine now." Loki returned to scowling at the rest of the room, pulling Clint closer.

"No it is not!" Fury exploded, causing a couple people in the room to jump. "I still have no clue what you people have done!"

Clint had started actually crying now, his face hidden in Loki's chest. "Great, thank you for that, I had just avoided this." Loki glared at Fury, before adjusting his grip on Clint so he could gently rub his back. "It's okay Clinton, you're going to be okay." Loki continued to whisper softly to Clint, trying to get him to stop crying.

"Good job Reindeer games, keep that up while I tell the Director here what really happened." Tony turned to Fury, a grin printed on his face. "So here I was, enjoying a nice drink with my good friend, Hawkeye, here." Tony waved a hand in the still crying Clint's direction. "Please note though, that he was the normal sized Barton. Anyways, here we were, having a great chat when all of a sudden, Goldilocks shows up with this di-"

"Tony." Steve interjects, a warning look in his eyes as he motions to Clint. "Watch your language."

Tony rolls his eyes, but continues. "So, Thor and his _ditz_," A pointed look at Steve, "Of a brother appear out of nowhere. Now, Bird Brains already had his knife pulled from God knows where about three seconds before I actually realized what was happening. And the idiot goes on the attack. Just jumps straight at these two with his knife raised and that crazy look in his eyes. Luckily, or unluckily, whatever way you look at it, Thor grabs him before he could do any damage and pins him to the ground. But Barton's not going down without a fight; so they're on the floor, battling it out, while it's just me and loco Loki left in an epic staring contest, which I was winning by the way. I finally got around to asking why he was here, and he gave me some bullsh-"

"Tony!"

Tony sighs, sending a glare at Steve. "He gives me this bullcrap," Steve still winced, "Answer about how he had to stay on our world without his magic as part of his punishment, and I feel compelled to add that he _lied _during part of his explanation."

"What did you expect?" Natasha snorted, "He's the god of lies."

Tony shifted his glare to her, before turning back to Fury. "Anyway, I wasn't too happy with him being in my home, so I may or may not have thrown a punch at him." Tony smirked, "I knew I shouldn't have been hanging around with Barton so much."

"Just get on with it Stark," Fury growled.

"Alright, after I punched him in the face, big guy over here," he motioned to Thor, "Hesitates in holding back Clint, which allows the little assassin to break out of the hold and lunge, luckily for the Mario Brothers, he'd dropped the knife in his tussle, so instead he just brought the crazy man here to the ground, they struggled for a few moments and then 'poof' Barton was gone and that thing was in his place." Tony pointed at Clint, who was still sniffling into Loki's shoulder.

"So why don't you just change him back?" Fury aimed his glare at Loki, who tightened his grip on Clint.

"Because my magic has been drained," He answered simply.

Fury, despite popular belief, did have morals. And he was really straining himself to not punch a man who was holding a child. Instead he just settled to promising himself that once Clint was out of Loki's arms the god was going to get a much deserved fist to the face. He settled to continue to glare at Loki, "So why did you turn him into a child in the first place?"

Loki shifted in his seat, sitting Clint back down in his lap and holding him loosely against his chest. "Like I said, part of my punishment was to be stuck in this awful world without my magic. It had been drained out of me, but I managed to trick my brother into thinking that it was completely gone." Heads turned to Thor now, who was looking slightly ashamed. Steve put a hand on his shoulder, offering him a comforting smile. "However, I figured that if I was brought here I would be able to make a quick escape. Unfortunately my chance was taken from me when I was sidetracked by Stark." Loki glared at Tony over Clint's head. "And when Barton took me down I took a very unfortunate hit to the head, and while I was healing myself with what magic I had left, my thoughts got a little confusing and I may have used the little I had left to accidentally restore Clinton to his four year old form and state of mind."

Clint was oblivious to the whole thing, he had long since tuned out the adults, not interested in what they were saying. He was content to stay in Loki's lap and observe the others around him. He didn't like a single one of them, some of them were loud and scary. And while the others would seem nice, he knew better than to trust them. He turned around, not wanting to bother himself with them anymore. Instead he laid his head on Loki's shoulder, and curled up on his lap, closing his eyes.

No one seemed to notice Clint relax in Loki's lap, they were all still discussing what had happened. "So why is he so attached to you?" Fury aimed the question at Loki.

"He seems to only trust me." Loki mused quietly, "I assume it has something to do with the fact that it was my magic that turned him into a child, not to mention the old… connection we had." He wrapped his arms around the child in his lap.

Natasha spoke up from where she was leaning against a wall. "And he won't let any of us hold him, won't even be in the same room with us if Loki's not there. He's only comfortable and relaxed if Loki's holding him."

"Yeah, and if we do try to take him away he screams like a fucking banshee. Oh, right, _freaking _banshee, sorry Rogers." Tony threw him a grin that told Steve he was anything but sorry.

"It's not his fault, he's just scared." Loki said exasperatedly, "And I don't blame him, you guys are mad." He hugged Clint closer, still absently rubbing Clint's back. Okay, so maybe he was also becoming a little attached.

"Yeah, we're the crazy ones." Tony rolled his eyes.

"Shut up Stark," Fury ordered. He gave Tony a pointed glare and continued on when Tony opened his mouth to speak again. "Let me get this straight. My best marksman is currently a four year old who is inconsolable unless he is in the presence of the batshit crazy god who tried to take over the world." He paused, "Captain, don't you dare say one thing about my choice of words." Steve frowned.

"Well, it looks like you've pretty much got this covered, you won't be needing me." Tony stood up, moving to walk out the door of the conference room.

"They're staying at your place Stark." Fury called out.

"What? No, I don't want that demented thing in my home." Tony stopped moving, turning to glare at Fury. "Did I mention that it's _my _place, _Stark _Tower. He's not welcome there."

"The Director's right Tony." Bruce, who had been silently watching the whole ordeal, finally spoke up. "There's no way we're going to be able to separate Clint from Loki, and it's only best if we can keep them at the tower, where we'll be able to keep an eye on them. Make sure that Clint's safe."

Tony scowled, before glancing at the four year old. "Alright, but any funny business and that fucker's out on the streets, I don't give a damn what you," he pointed at Loki, "Or you," He pointed at Thor, "Would have to say about it. Are we fucking clear?" Steve didn't even bother to say anything this time as Thor and Loki nodded in agreement.

"Good, it's settled then. Now, how do you plan on fixing this problem?" Fury wanted his marksman back.

"The magic should wear off after a while, I believe it would be about a month and a half or two months as you say." Loki supplied the answer, uninterestedly. He was currently occupied with checking to see if Clint was awake or not. The boy was curled up in his lap, his head had moved from the god's shoulder to his chest, and he was slumped over slightly. Loki tapped his cheek lightly, and when he got no response he looked up. "I think it's time we put him to bed."

Fury shook his head, focusing on the only part of Loki's answer that he cared about. "Two months? I have to wait two months to get Barton back." He ran a hand over his face, before a new concern popped up. "Will he remember any of this? What's his current state of mind?"

Heads swiveled towards Loki again and he sighed, taking one more glance at Clint before looking at the rest of the group. "It's as if we took his four year old self and put him in his older self's place. He's been reverted to that child, body and mind. He's already asked about his Mother and Father a couple of times, but he seemed to be content without them. Although he did press a little more when he was asking about a brother, but he even gave up on that after a while. Apparently, he's fine with me." His voice was barely above a whisper, and he stood up, shifting Clint appropriately. "He may or may not remember what has happened when he returns to his normal form. But that is not important now, I'd like to put him to bed." Loki's looked expectantly at the others.

Tony let out a sigh. "Yeah, alright, let's go. We're done here, it's been a long day."

"I wasn't aware you've become the Director now Stark." Fury gave him a pointed look.

"I don't give a fuck anymore Fury, we have a four year old who's obsessed with the god who took over his mind a few months ago. The normal ship has sailed." Tony motioned to the others, who got ready to leave.

"Alright, meeting dismissed." Fury growled as he walked out.

Tony looked to the others, waiting for them to follow him out. And they did, shuffling out the doors and walking through the halls of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. "I'll have JARVIS order everything we need for a four year old." Tony called back dismissively, not caring who heard him. He received a muttered 'Alright.' From someone, and that was about it.

Loki tightened his hold on Clint as they walked, determined to keep the boy in his grasp. He was beginning to like the little boy, and he'd always had a sort of soft spot for children. It helped that he'd taken a liking to the archer while he was under the god's control, maybe now his time in this world wouldn't be too bad.

_**So, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Review and let me know! **_

_**Also, I am open to suggestions for anything you'd like to see. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**So, the response I've been getting for this story is just overwhelming! Thank you guys for all of the alerts and the reviews, my phone's been buzzing nonstop, it's amazing!**_

_**And to all of you who had suggestions, thank you so much! Not all of them are in this chapter exactly, but they will be showing up later in the story. **_

_**As a reminder, I'd like to point out that there's no romantic pairings of any kind – slash or no slash.**_

_**I apologize for any mistakes, also, I own nothing. **_

Loki cracked his eyes open, aware of an unfamiliar pressure on chest. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that the pressure was Clint, who was currently sitting cross legged on his chest with tears streaming down his face and his thumb was once again in his mouth, a habit that Loki was looking to put a stop to.

The god sat up, carefully moving Clint from his chest to his lap. He gently pulled Clint's thumb out of his mouth and looked down at the boy. "What's wrong Clinton?" He asked softly.

Clint looked up at him, "I had a nightmare." His voice was small and shaken, and Loki could tell he was trying to hold in his sobs.

Loki sighed as he started running a hand through Clint's hair. "There's no need to cry, you're okay now." He pulled Clint even closer so the little one was able to bury his face in Loki's chest. Despite Loki's words, Clint had started to cry freely, his sobs muffled by the god's clothes. "Shh Clinton, I've got you." He continued to run his hand through Clint's blonde locks, watching as the boy's cries only got louder. "Do you want to tell me about it? It might help," Loki urged, wanting to hear anything but Clint's continuing sobs.

"No," Clint shook his head, "No, 's too scary." He gasped as he cried, his breath coming in short pants. "I want my Mamma, where's my Mamma?" He pulled his head away from Loki and looked up at him with teary eyes.

Loki hesitated, Clint had only asked for his family a couple of times before, but had eventually stopped, accepting Loki's explanation. "I told you Clinton, she's not here right now, you're going to be staying here with me for a while."

"I don't wanna, I want Mamma and Barney," Clint sobbed, "I don't like the people here, they're scary."

"There's nothing to be afraid of, the people here will not hurt you." Loki assured him.

"But Barney says that you can't trust anyone 'cause people are evil and mean an' only care about themselves." Clint stared up at him, confusion visible through his tears.

Loki just blinked, not sure what to say. He thought about it for a moment. "You trust me, don't you Clinton?" Clint nodded hesitantly. "And you know that I would never hurt you in any way?" Again, Clint nodded. "And I need you to trust me when I say that these people would _never_ hurt you, do you understand?" Clint nodded once again, before moving forward and hesitantly giving Loki a small hug.

The god smiled slightly, returning the hug. "Now, how about we try to get you back to sleep, it's still very early in the morning." He gently pulled Clint away from himself, shushing him softly as the boy started whimpering again.

"I'm still scared." His sobs had ceased, but he was still hiccupping quietly, and the tears were continuing to fall down his face.

"Don't be scared Clinton, you're safe here," Loki assured him.

Clint's watery eyes locked with his own. "Promise?"

"I promise."

"Thank you." Clint's small whisper floated through the air.

"Of course." Loki gently lifted Clint off of his lap and next to him on the bed, brushing away the tears that had finally started to slow. "Will you be able to fall asleep once again?"

"I think so," Clint mumbled, sticking his thumb in his mouth as he lied down once again.

Loki sighed, but let it go, pulling the covers over Clint. "Sleep well little one," he whispered while he brushed away the last of Clint's tears.

"Night night," Was Clint's muffled response.

* * *

Loki walked into the kitchen, balancing a sleepy Clint on his hip.

"How was the tyke's first night?" Tony spoke from where he was leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee in his hands. He and Steve were the only ones in the kitchen so far, and Steve was busying himself with finding something to eat.

"It was just fine." Loki glanced at Clint, frowning as he pulled the thumb out of his mouth. "If you're hungry Clinton I'm sure there's something here for you to eat, you don't have to resort to self-cannibalism." Clint's face went red and he buried it in Loki's neck.

Tony raised an eyebrow while Steve just shrugged, before speaking out. "Clint, would you like some breakfast?" He made sure to keep his tone light and soft, trying not to seem like a threat.

Clint raised his head and looked wide eyed at Loki, fear showing brightly. "Remember our talk Clinton?" Loki asked softly, "Do you remember what I said?"

"It's safe," Clint mumbled quietly.

"That's right." Loki smiled softly, giving Clint an encouraging look. "Now, I believe you were asked a question."

Clint tightened his grip on Loki, before glancing nervously at Steve. "I would like some breakfast please."

"Alright," Steve smiled brightly, "What would you like?"

Clint shrugged slightly, hiding his face in Loki's neck once more.

"Make him chocolate chip pancakes, he loves those." Natasha slipped into the kitchen.

Clint lifted his head, a shocked look on his face as he stared at Natasha. "Can you read minds?"

Natasha smiled slightly at Clint's awed look. "No, no I can't read minds, I'm just very smart when it comes to people."

Clint nodded slowly as he took in the answer, before remembering that he was terrified of the woman and he went back to snuggling into Loki's shoulder. Loki chuckled softly, before giving Clint a small kiss on the top of his head. "Remember my words little one."

Clint looked up at Loki with a pout, "But they're scary," he insisted.

"I promised you Clinton." Clint's pout didn't disappear but he did seem more at ease.

"And just when I thought this situation couldn't get any weirder, it seems that the crazy god has found his weakness, children." Tony had been watching the whole exchange, his interest peaking with each word that was shared between the two.

Loki ignored Tony, and was spared from another jab by Thor announcing his presence with his booming voice. "Good morning to everyone. I trust you all slept well." He spotted Loki. "Brother, how are you and young Clint Barton doing this morning?"

"We're fine Thor, but please try and lower your voice."

"I apologize, I will try to next time." Thor smiled and turned to find his Pop Tarts.

Loki nodded in acknowledgement, raising an eyebrow when he felt a slight tug on his sleeve. "Yes?" He looked at Clint, a soft smile on his face.

"I'm thirsty," was his small whisper.

"I would think so, with all that crying you did last night." Loki murmured, before turning to the rest of the group. "Would somebody please get this child something to drink?"

Before anyone could answer Bruce shuffled in, smiling at Clint. "I'll get him something. Clint, would you like some orange juice?"

Clint looked up at him. "Yes please."

"Alright kiddo." Bruce looked at Loki, "He can just sit down at the table."

Loki did as Bruce said, gently setting Clint down in a chair and pulling one up next to him, at the boy's insistence. "Your pancakes are almost ready Clint." Steve said as Bruce set a glass of orange juice in front of him.

"Thank you," Clint mumbled. He tensed a little as the others started to join them at the table, but relaxed when Steve put a plate of pancakes in front of him.

"You want syrup squirt?" Tony asked as he sat down. Clint nodded hesitantly. "Alright the kid has spoken, metaphorically of course, Steve, get him some syrup." Steve rolled his eyes, but did as he was told.

Clint startled as Natasha grabbed the plate that was in front of him and started cutting up the pancakes into bite-size pieces. "Th-Thank you." He managed to stutter when she returned the plate to its original place.

"You're welcome." Natasha gave him a soft smile.

"Here you go." Steve poured a generous amount of syrup over Clint's food, earning a small smile from the boy as he gratefully started to eat.

It seemed like everything was going well until Clint accidentally knocked over his glass, it fell off the table and shattered, the loud noise breaking through the soft chatter of the room's occupants. Loki immediately had Clint in his arms, terrified that he had been hurt. "Clinton, are you alright, are you hurt?"

Clint had started shaking and he ignored Loki's question. "I'm sorry, please don't be mad, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, please don't hit me, I'm sorry." His words were rushed and trembling, but it managed to send the whole room into a stale silence as the others slowly caught on.

"No one's going to hurt you in any way, I told you that. We know it was just an accident Clint, it's okay. Now, it's very important that you answer my question, did the glass cut you anywhere?" Loki held him out slightly, trying to get a good look at the child.

Clint feebly shook his head no, flinching slightly. "I'm sorry, please don't hit me," he repeated in a whisper.

Tony was the first to speak before anyone else could respond. "JARVIS get this mess cleaned up."

"_Yes, sir." _Was the response, making Clint gaze at the ceiling in awe for a moment.

The billionaire crouched next to the chair that Loki and Clint were in, making sure he was eye level with the boy. "Clint, look at me buddy," he commanded softly, smiling when Clint did what he was told. "We know it was an accident kid, no one here is mad at you. No one here will ever lay a hand on you, _ever_. You understanding me angel face?"

Clint blinked, staring at Tony intently. "Daddy says that when kids are idiots they deserve what's comin'." He recited the words like an old prayer.

Tony didn't even bat an eye, "I hate to break it to you kid, but it turns out your Daddy's the idiot. And I'm a genius, so I know what I'm talking about."

Clint looked at him skeptically, still distrustful. "Prove it."

Tony smirked a little, amused by Clint's sudden boldness. "JARVIS, am I the genius that created you?"

"_You most certainly are sir." _

Clint's eyes widened, and he looked around the room wildly. "How did you do that?" He looked at Tony in amazement.

"I told you, I'm a genius." Tony figured that would be enough of an explanation for the four year old, it really was easier than trying to explain the AI to the boy.

Clint nodded, accepting Tony's answer. "So, you're right about my Daddy being wrong?" He asked timidly.

"I'm always right." Tony grinned widely, before turning serious again. "And I can assure you that you will never be hurt while you're here. Get it?"

Clint gave him a small smile. "Got it."

"Good." Tony held his hand up, "High-five rug rat." Clint's giggled slightly, and he hastily returned the high-five. "Now, there's a brand new room for you filled with clothes and even some toys, plus it's right across from your old one, where your nanny is staying." He gestured to Loki, earning a scowl from the god. "Plus, there's also a playroom set up just for you and it's bursting with a whole bunch of really cool toys. So how about you go get cleaned up and changed, and then you can play for as long as your little heart desires." Tony stood up.

Clint's smile widened and he looked up at Loki with bright eyes. "Can we go now?"

Loki chuckled slightly, gently putting Clint on the ground and grabbing the four year old's hand. "We most certainly can little one." He glanced at Tony for a second, thinking deeply. "While you are insufferable at almost all times, I do appreciate your actions," he said curtly, before looking down at Clint and softening his tone. "And I do believe that he will be more at ease around you now, and I thank you for comforting his troubled mind."

Tony grinned, before patting Loki on the back, "You're not so bad yourself."

Clint tugged lightly at Loki's hand, breaking the moment. "Loki, you said we could go now."

Loki laughed, allowing Clint to lead him out of the room. It was silent a whole three seconds before Bruce was the first one to speak up. "Yeah, there's no way in hell anyone's going to believe any of that just happened."

All other responses were cut off by Loki's distant shout of, "Clinton, no running!"

_**So… how was it? Should I continue?**_

_**And remember, I'm open to any kinds of suggestions!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I'm so incredibly sorry for taking so long. I just had no clue what to do next and got hit with a major case of writers block, but alas, I have managed to put something together, I hope it's not too bad. :/ **_

_**And I really cannot put into words how thankful I am for all of your reviews and alerts, they really kept me going and helped to inspire me.**_

_**I made this chapter about twice as long as the others to try and make up for making you guys wait so long.**_

_**I hope you guys like this, again, I own nothing.**_

"Clinton get down from there, it's dangerous." Loki stated firmly, watching warily as Clint continued his treacherous climb up the tree.

"Nuh uh, it's fun." Clint said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, not even bothering to glance down at Loki.

The god let out an exasperated sigh, sending a glare at Natasha who was a couple of feet off, relaxing on a bench while flipping through a magazine. It was her fault they were there in the first place. It had been a couple of days since Clint's initial alteration, and Loki was sure that he was doing just fine in the tower. But she had _insisted _that the boy go outside and get some fresh air, and while Loki had been apprehensive to the idea, he'd finally agreed because Clint had all but begged to go. Of course he'd said yes, because he had come to realize that it was almost impossible for him to deny the four year old.

And as a result, they'd ended up going to a park, where Clint had immediately taken to climbing anything and everything. After he'd gotten bored with the monotony of the jungle gym, he'd moved on to the natural scenery. Which, Loki had to admit, _maybe_ made him slightly more than kind of nervous. So here he was, staring up at the child in worry.

"He'll be fine." Natasha's voice drifted over from the bench, her gaze never leaving the magazine.

Loki huffed and looked over at her. "He could get hurt." He hissed at her, careful to keep his voice low so Clint wouldn't hear them fighting.

Natasha finally looked up at him, raising an eyebrow and fixing him with a look that seemed to say, 'Really?' "He's a four year old boy. Four year old boys love adventure, risks, and, especially Clint, climbing trees. Let him have his fun. Enjoy his happiness." With that she looked back down at her magazine, not paying any more attention to Loki.

The god let out an exasperated sigh, and glanced up at the smiling boy in the tree. "Clint, I'm going to be with Natasha on the bench, tell me if you need anything, alright?"

"Okay!" Was Clint's brief reply.

Loki cast one last glance at Clint before reluctantly sitting down next to Natasha. He didn't keep his eyes off of Clint though, carefully watching him in his ascent. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a brief upturn of Natasha's lips, he scowled. "What? What is so amusing?" He snapped.

"He's just Daddy's Little Boy, isn't he?" She smirked slightly, flicking her gaze to the god.

Loki just scowled at her, before moving his eyes back to Clint. "I'm merely taking care of him."

"Keep telling yourself that," Natasha muttered.

Loki rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else. He watched as Clint precariously jumped up to grasp a branch that was just out of his reach, a smile still implanted on his face. Loki was about to call out and tell him to be more careful, but Natasha lightly nudged his arm. "Let it go."

"Fine," he agreed, "But if that child falls and breaks his neck it will be your fault."

"He'll be fine." She repeated.

Loki was ready to snap back at her, but he was distracted by the presence of another young boy walking up to the tree. He looked to be about Clint's age, with short brown hair and a sharp face with a small pair of glasses perched on his nose.

"What are you doing?" He looked up at Clint.

Clint looked down at the sound of another voice, stopping his climb right before the top. "I'm climbin' a tree." He answered somewhat shyly.

"Why?"

"'Cause it's fun." Clint's quiet voice drifted down to the other boy.

"No it's not. My mommy says you get sap all over your hands, and sticks in your hair, and you could even fall and break your arm."

"That's why it's fun." Clint smiled slightly, still looking down. "You should try."

"No, my mommy says that I can't, it's too dangerous."

Natasha snorted next to Loki as she listened in on the conversation between the two children. "That boy's mother sounds like you." Loki scowled at her.

Clint meanwhile, was looking down at the boy. "Oh," he paused, "Do you wanna go play on the play set?"

"I don't know if I can, my mommy says I'm not supposed to go anywhere without telling her."

"Well where is she?" Clint started to climb down the tree, jumping dangerously from branch to branch.

The boy's eyes went wide as he started to look around. "Uh oh. I think I forgot to tell her where I was going."

Just then a shrill voice ran out from a few yards away. "Neil! Neil, where are you sweetie?"

"Over here mommy!" The young boy, Neil, called out.

A mousy looking woman rushed up to Neil just as Clint dropped out of the tree. She startled for a moment, before turning back to her son. "Sweetie, what has mommy told you about wandering off without me?"

"I'm sorry mommy, I just wanted to see what he was doing." Neil pointed to Clint, who shrunk away slightly at the woman's gaze.

Her face softened as she looked back at Neil, "Oh I can't be mad at you honey, you're just too precious." She smiled as she looked back at Clint, "Who's your new friend?"

"I'm Clint." Clint answered shyly, shrinking away slightly.

"Well hello Clint, I guess I'll let you guys go play, yeah?"

"Yeah! We're gonna be on the playground!" Neil's excited voice rang out.

Neil's mom crouched down in front of him, fixing the collar on his shirt. "Alright, but remember no running, don't go out of my sight, don't jump off of anything, be careful by the swings, and I'll call you over when it's time to put more sunscreen on, okay?" Neil nodded. "Good, now go have fun." His mother's smile widened even more as she gave Neil a hug.

"I was under the impression that having fun was too dangerous." Natasha muttered sarcastically.

Loki couldn't help but chuckle slightly in agreement, smiling at Clint who had shot him a nervous look. "Go on, I'll be right here." He called out encouragingly.

Clint nodded, a smile growing on his own face. He quickly grinned at Neil, motioning to the play set. "Come on!" The two boys set off towards their object of entertainment as Neil's mother joined Loki and Natasha on the bench.

"Hi, I'm Rebecca." She smiled brightly and her gaze flickered between Natasha and Loki. "Are you two Clint's parents?"

"Oh, God no," Natasha quickly stated. "This is Loki, he's Clint's father, I'm Natasha, the nanny. We are not together."

"Oh I'm sorry." Rebecca paused for a moment, "I mean, I should've known. You certainly look more like a nanny." The smile never left her face as her sweet tone developed a sour note. Loki felt the tension in the air shift. He suddenly realized that he was right in between the two women and wished that he could be anywhere but.

Natasha shifted slightly to get a better view of Rebecca, a sickening sweet smile on her own face. "Oh Really?" She laughed slightly, although Loki could detect no humor in it. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"It's just, you're dressed kind of provocatively. I mean, come on woman, this is a park. I get that you're probably trying to find some rich husband to flaunt your figure in front of and quickly become the wife of a millionaire, but I would appreciate if you left took your sleazy business somewhere more appropriate. Like a strip club." Rebecca's tone turned condescending and it took a lot of self-control for Natasha to not launch herself at this crazy woman.

"Excuse me, I'm just going to pretend for your sake that you didn't say any of that. Because right now, you're heading down a dangerous path lady, and I'd rather not get in a fight in front of my little boy." Natasha's tone was cold and calculating, a tone that was reserved mainly for the threat of death on some of the most hardened criminals.

Loki was slightly put off though, and completely ignored her threatening glare. "He's actually my child." He interjected sharply, although it seemed that both of the women were content to ignore him and instead give each other dirty looks. The god sighed, trying to blend into the background as the fight continued from both sides.

It seemed like Rebecca wasn't daunted by Natasha's assassin-esque threats either. "Of course you wouldn't want to. But it's too late for that I guess, I can already tell that your boy will probably end up behind bars. It's obvious really, he just screams 'unstable.'"

"Okay, that's it," Natasha growled, "I'm really hoping that you say one more thing about Clint, because by then, there won't be anything stopping me from ripping your goddamn throat out."

"I wouldn't have to say anything, that kid is just evidence enough of how some children are just poorly raised these days." Rebecca's voice was smooth and calm, she obviously had no idea that Natasha really could go through with her threat.

"Now listen here you little bitch, Clint is an amazing boy, and I can assure you that he will grow up to be one of the best damn men this world has ever seen, and if you think-"

Clint looked up interestedly from his spot in the sandbox with Neil. He watched as Natasha seemed to be yelling at Neil's mom, although it wasn't exactly yelling. He couldn't hear what they were fighting about, but it seemed to be pretty serious.

"Wow, your mom looks pretty mad at my mom." Neil had followed Clint's gaze to the bench, and was also watching the scene in front of them.

Clint shook his head quickly, turning to look at Neil. "Tasha's not my mom. My mamma's in Iowa, Tasha's my…" He thought hard about what he'd been instructed to tell people about Natasha. "She's my nanny."

Neil gave him a confused look. "Why aren't you in Iowa with your mom?"

Clint shrugged. "Tony said that I gotsta stay here in New York 'cause my mamma and daddy and brother hafta go away wiffout me."

"Well where'd they go? And why aren't you with them?"

"Tony just says it's 'cause I'm extra special and that I should believe him because he's a genius. He also says that I shouldn't ask so many questions 'cause it's a secret and if he tells me I'll get taked by the gov-gover-governement." Clint smiled as he finished his speech, glad that he had remembered what he'd been told. Give or take a few words and pronunciations.

"Who's Tony?"

"He's my uncle!" Clint proclaimed excitedly, happy now that he was getting the hang of his 'cover story' as Natasha had said. He quickly lowered his voice to a whisper though, trying to sound serious. "But not really. I don't gots any uncles, but Tony says that I gots four now. Him, Steve, Bruce, and Thor, and Loki's my daddy. But that's not true either, it's just what I'm apposed to say." He was grinning again, and Neil was looking excited.

"Thor? Like Thor from the Avengers?" Neil asked quietly.

Clint scrunched up his nose, looking at Neil curiously. "What's that?"

Neil's eyes went wide behind his glasses. "You don't know about the Avengers?" He asked in disbelief.

"No..." Clint shook his head slowly.

"What? Everybody knows about the Avengers!" Neil's excited whisper mirrored Clint's previous tone.

"I don't." The four year old didn't understand how the other boy wasn't getting this.

On the other hand, Neil had no clue how Clint didn't know who the Avengers were. "They're amazing! They're superheroes!"

Clint cocked his head, staring at Neil curiously. "Superheroes? Like Batman and Superman?" Barney had given him his old comic books, claiming that he was too old for them and that only babies like Clint would be entertained by them. Of course Clint had vehemently insisted that he wasn't a baby and threw the comics under his bed.

But that didn't stop him from taking a flashlight and crawling under there one night when his dad had gotten especially mad. And even though he couldn't read, just seeing the images of the bad guys being pulverized by someone who was trying to do the right thing made him think that maybe there were still people who were willing to help the lonely little four year old boy trembling under his bed in a small town in Iowa. And maybe there was even someone out there who would save him, and make him feel safe. Maybe even love him.

He had focused on that thought as he flicked off his flashlight and shuffled into the corner as his dad's yelling grew louder and his footsteps came closer.

Neil was still giving him a strange look. "Yeah, kind of, but these are _real _superheroes. Not like the ones in cartoons or anything. There's Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye." He rattled off the names of the heroes; a wide smile on his face, his voice was still a whisper though as he cast a glance at his mom. "Mommy says that I shouldn't idolize them because they're a bad influence and show kids that it's alright to do dangerous things. But daddy buys me action figures, 'cause he thinks says that they should inspire me to be the best I can."

Clint perked up a little as he listened to Neil. He was sure he'd heard of Captain America before, some of the neighborhood kids would mention him a couple of times, but they'd all said he was in a plane crash a long time ago. "I thought Captain America was dead." He said skeptically.

"Nope." Neil shook his head quickly, "He was just frozen, and then he thawed, and helped the other Avengers save the world from an alien invasion!" He quickly looked at his mom, satisfied that she hadn't heard his short outburst. It seemed like she was still battling it out with Natasha.

"You're making that up." Clint was sure that there were no such things as aliens.

"No I'm not, cross my heart and hope to die." Neil moved his fingers to draw out an 'X' on his chest, effectively crossing his heart.

Clint narrowed his eyes, studying Neil carefully. He had crossed his heart though, and he'd be dead if he was lying, so Clint had to believe him.

"Okay, what are these Avengers like?" He asked slowly. Neil's wide grin returned as he delved into the details of the superheroes he'd come to admire.

Loki watched interestedly as Clint and Neil had what looked to be a very engaging conversation. It was much easier than trying to keep up with the bitter fight that was revolving around him.

"What the hell is your problem lady? Are you seriously this insane?" Natasha had more self-control than she thought, so far she had managed to keep from tearing this woman apart. It was hard though, because this lady was just one of those bitchy housewives that were only seen on crappy reality TV shows, and all she was looking for was a good fight to probably stroke her worthless ego some more. And Natasha was more than willing to give her that fight. Once Clint had become involved all thoughts of rationality had been thrown out the window.

"My 'problem' is you. I'm not the one going around infecting children's minds with your poisonous looks and whorish attitude." Rebecca snapped back at her, looking like she was also moments away from attacking.

"My whorish attitude? You've known me for all of five minutes, what gives you the right to go around judging people, miss 'I'm-a-great-mother-even-though-I'm-a-stuck-up-bitch-who's-setting-the-wrong-example-for-her-son.'"

Loki turned his attention back to the fight, finding it oddly amusing. Some mortals could be so petty.

"And they all live in Stark Tower!" Neil finished animatedly, pointing to the building with enthusiasm.

Clint followed his gaze, his eyes widening. "That's where I'm staying."

Neil looked shocked, staring at Clint with the same disbelief the other had shown him earlier. "You're staying with The Avengers?"

Clint shrugged, feeling his face heat up at the other boy's intense gaze. "I guess so. Tony never said anyfing 'bout superheroes though."

Neil took a moment to piece together what he was hearing. "You're talking about Tony Stark? You know Iron Man?" At Clint's hesitant nod his excitement bubbled over, and he was soon shooting rapid fire questions at the other boy. "What's it like? Is it fun? Do you see all the cool stuff he makes? You know the other Avengers don't you? I bet you do. Are they all really awesome too? Have you gotten to see Captain America's shield?" He continued to rattle on, not giving Clint any time to answer. Until he stopped suddenly, taking a deep breath. Neil was about to go into another long question reel, when his gaze flickered over to the bench. His breath caught in his throat as he stared hard at Natasha. "That's Black Widow," he finally realized.

Natasha was about ready to murder the other woman, and Loki was watching them with interest. Rebecca however, had no clue of the million ways of torture Natasha was running through her head, trying to figure out which would be the most effective way to shut this witch up. "And worst of all, that boy of yours, just one look at him tells me that he's being raised as a-"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as Natasha stood up and landed a sharp slap onto Rebecca's face. "I've had it with you insulting Clint. You have no right to say anything about him. If you had even a shred of decency left in that hollow shell of a body, you would realize that you're being a coward for insulting a four year old. I hope you know that you are a _terrible _mother, and you're so fucking lucky that I only slapped you, because believe me, this could've ended much worse." Her cold tone proved that she wasn't lying.

Neil and Clint had looked over as they heard the loud sound of Natasha's hand connecting with Rebecca's face. They'd watched as she leaned over and threatened her darkly, not able to hear what she was saying. "Whoa. My mom just got in a fight with Black Widow. That is so cool!" Neil bounced excitedly next to Clint, who was watching the scene warily.

The four year old wasn't sure what to think. He'd always been slightly skittish around the Russian, finding her to be a little scary for some reason, but he knew that Natasha had only been nice to him and Loki _had _promised him that he wouldn't be hurt. But right now the redhead looked terrifying, and Clint was very relieved that he wasn't on the receiving end of her wrath. And if what Neil had said was true than it meant that Natasha was a master assassin, and that in itself was enough to strike fear in Clint's heart.

He wasn't too scared though, because he knew he had Loki to protect him.

Neil looked a little as he stood up and brushed the sand off of his pants. "I gotta go now, my mom's gotten in fights before and she usually wants to leave right after. It was fun playing with you, bye Clint!" He quickly climbed out of the sandbox as his mother's shrill voice rang out telling him that it was time to go.

"Bye!" Clint called back, standing up and moving to go back to Loki and Natasha.

Natasha glared after Rebecca, hoping that she never had to see that woman ever again. Some people were just so infuriating. She turned her glare to Loki, who looked amused. "What?" She snapped venomously.

"I'm willing to think that woman still hasn't learned when to keep her mouth shut," he paused, "Although it was satisfying to you slap her. Although, if I'd had my magic she'd have gotten more than just a slap."

Natasha smirked slightly. "No one messes with Daddy's Little Boy, huh?"

Loki rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else. He glanced back over at Clint just in time to see him trip over his shoelace and pitch forward onto the cement. Within seconds Loki was at his side, scooping him up and cradling the four year old close to his chest.

"Are you okay little one?" His concern only heightened as he caught sight of Clint's skinned knees and the blood that had started to fall down his legs.

Clint felt the stinging on his knees and scraped up hands, but brushed it off. He'd had this happen many times before, it was nothing new. "I'm fine," he insisted and pushed lightly on Loki's chest. "I'm not a baby, don't carry me like one."

Loki chuckled lightly at Clint's defiance, slightly relieved that the boy wasn't hurt too bad. He shifted Clint in his arms, bringing him closer so he could place a soft kiss on his forehead. "Oh really?" He teased lightly, "Because I'm pretty sure I've got a precious little baby in my arms right now."

Clint stuck his tongue out at Loki, pouting fiercely. "I'm not little and I'm not a baby," he muttered.

"Of course not." Loki humored him, glancing back at the four year old's knees. "Now, why don't we head back and get you fixed up?" It would've been time to leave anyways, the sun was slowly starting to set in the distance and it was slowly approaching Clint's bedtime.

Clint sighed, a little sad that he wasn't able to play anymore, but he was getting a little tired. "Okay," he murmured, resting his head against Loki's shoulder.

That was a lot easier than Loki figured it was going to be, and he understood once he caught onto Clint's sleepy demeanor. He smiled softly at the boy, bouncing him slightly. "Stay awake Clinton," he urged quietly, "We've still got to get home and get you taken care of." Clint just snuggled his face farther into Loki's shoulder.

Natasha joined them soon enough, motioning for Loki to follow her on the walk back. She carefully looked over Clint's injuries, satisfied that he wasn't hurt seriously.

Soon enough they arrived back at Stark Tower and Loki was carefully rocking Clint in his arms as they entered the elevator. "Are you still awake little one?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah." Clint's voice was muffled and lethargic, making Loki laugh lightly.

"It sounds like you won't be for long." He commented as they walked out of the elevator and down the hall. Natasha led them to the kitchen, and told Loki to set Clint down on the counter. She quickly found a couple of bandages and a damp wash cloth.

"I'm just going to clean your knees off and then put the band aids on." She told Clint gently, looking at him to make sure it was okay.

Clint nodded slightly, grabbing Loki's hand. He was still tired and his eyes drooped slightly as he brought his unused thumb up to his mouth and watched Natasha warily.

Loki smiled encouragingly at Clint, gently pulling the thumb out of his mouth. The four year old glared half-heartedly at him, and Loki couldn't hold back the amused smile at the sight. Luckily he was saved from a small melt down on Clint's part as Natasha finished putting on the last band aid. "There we go, all done." She smiled softly at Clint, who smiled back.

"Thank you." Clint was about to reach out for Loki when Tony entered the room, and he quickly turned his attention to the genius. "Tony!" He pulled away from Loki and crawled across the counter towards Tony, completely ignoring Loki's worried protests and the new injuries on his knees.

"Whoa there kiddo, let's be a little more careful." Tony chuckled as he lifted Clint off of the counter, raising an eyebrow as he caught a sight of the newly bandaged legs. "Did you have a fall at the park?"

Clint nodded quickly, throwing his arms around Tony's neck. "But I'm okay now, it didn't even hurt too much." He smiled brightly, fighting the sleepy side of himself. "And I made a friend, his name was Neil, but he had to go after Tasha slapped his mom. And I climbeded a really tall tree and I didn't even fall. Plus, I made almost made it to the way top." He continued to ramble on, causing Tony to laugh in amusement as he tried to keep up with the four year olds never ending stream of words. Suddenly, Clint paused, recalling his time with Neil. "Tony," he drawled out slowly, "Are you guys all superheroes?"

Natasha and Loki had been watching the scene with the same amusement as Tony, but now they were quickly growing serious. Because despite how everyone thought they had done a pretty good job of explaining everything to Clint, no one had bothered to tell him about The Avengers. They really needed to communicate better.

Tony paused, shifting Clint in his arms. "Well my little bundle of joy, I guess I have to say that yes, we are. I'm Iron Man, Natasha there is the infamous Black Widow, Stevie's Captain America, Bruce contributes with The Hulk, and Thor is… Thor."

Clint bounced excitedly, causing Tony to tighten his grip on the boy slightly. "I know, Neil told me everyfing, but what 'bout Hawkeye? Neil told me 'bout him too, he sounds cool."

"He's on a special mission." Natasha answered quickly.

"Yeah, a _very _special mission." Tony smirked as Natasha rolled her eyes. He turned his attention back to Clint. "What makes you think he's cool? I'll have you know that Iron Man is the coolest Avenger there is."

Clint let out the four year old's version of an exasperated sigh, "Because his name is Hawkeye, and the Hawkeyes are the bestest football team in the history of ever."

"That's right, you're a little Iowan," Tony laughed lightly, "That's some serious irony right there." He looked back at Clint, who was starting to lose himself to sleep again as the excitement wore off. "Alright junior, I think it's time for you to get to bed, but don't worry, we can bug everyone else with more questions tomorrow."

Loki moved forward and gently took Clint from Tony's arms, adjusting the four year old appropriately as he transferred his koala like grip from the billionaire to the god. "Say goodnight Clinton," he urged softly.

"G'night." Clint wiggled his fingers in a small wave at Tony and Natasha, who smiled back at him. He yawned and looked up at Loki, brow furrowing in confusion. "What about you Loki? Are you a superhero?"

A silence descended over the room that could only be described as 'awkward.'

After a few moments, Loki quickly recovered and smiled gingerly back at Clint. "No, I'm not a superhero, far from it actually."

"Oh," Clint laid his head on Loki's shoulder, "Okay." He closed his eyes and sighed softly.

Loki rubbed Clint's back gently, nodding goodbye to Tony and Natasha as he left the room and headed for Clint's bedroom. "Stay awake a little longer," he murmured encouragingly.

Clint merely nodded sleepily into the god's shoulder, the toll of an exciting day weighing heavily on him.

Loki smiled affectionately as they entered Clint's room. He shifted the toddler so he could hold him with one arm while he quickly found a pair of pajamas. "You still have to get changed little one." He set Clint down on the bed, crouching down and pulled the boy's shoes and socks off before he started to help him get changed.

"I'm not little," Clint protested drowsily.

"Oh you're quite little," Loki teased him. "From your little toes," he tickled Clint's feet lightly, "To your little fingers," he placed a quick kiss to the four year old's palm, "And even your little nose," he tapped a finger against Clint's nose as the child giggled uncontrollably.

"You're silly," Clint continued to giggle as Loki helped finish changing into his pajamas.

"I'm sure I am." Loki stood up and moved so he could pull back the covers. "Come on Clinton, bedtime."

Clint crawled under the covers tiredly. The lights dimmed accordingly as Loki carefully tucked him in and kissed his forehead. "Sweet dreams," he murmured as he ran a comforting hand through the four year old's hair.

Clint looked up with sleepy eyes. "Can you stay?" He asked quietly, still uneasy about being left alone at night. He tended to get a little scared.

"Of course." Loki just couldn't say no to his baby. He carefully laid down next to Clint, laughing softly as the boy kicked off the covers and snuggled into his side. He wrapped an arm around the four year old and continued to run his fingers through the boy's hair.

Clint snuggled even farther into Loki, realizing that he finally felt safe for once. Somebody actually cared about him.

There was silence for a few minutes, and Loki was sure that Clint had fallen asleep. However, he was only half asleep and spoke up quietly. "Hey Loki," he murmured drowsily.

"Hm?"

"You're _my _superhero." Clint stuck his thumb in his mouth as he finally drifted off to sleep.

_**Okay, so yeah, there it is. Again, I'm so sorry for taking so long.**_

_**Anyways, I feel inclined to inform you that next chapter, due to popular demand, there will be sick!Clint.**_

_**Anything else you'd like to see, just tell me! Please don't forget to review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Oh my God the reviews and the response this had been getting! It's just terrific! I'm so glad that y'all like it so much, it really means so much to me.**_

_**This chapter kinda got away from me a bit and I don't even know what happened with it. :/ It was originally just supposed to be a short little snippet, but that's definitely not what it is. Oh well, I hope I didn't butcher it too bad.**_

_**Again, I own nothing.**_

Loki was surprised when he walked into Clint's room one morning, the four year old was awake and sitting up in bed already.

He had quickly realized that if Clint didn't want to wake up, then he wasn't going to wake up. Most of the time he was just left trying to handle a stubborn, sleepy four year old. It wasn't always fun.

But today Clint was sitting up with his blankets strewn across his lap and a very unhappy look on his face. "Is something wrong little one?" Loki immediately moved forward and sat down next to Clint, rubbing his back gently.

"Twoat urts." Clint moved into Loki's side, pouting pitifully.

Loki would have thought it was adorable if he hadn't sounded so miserable. "Has it been hurting since you've woken up?" Clint just nodded, burying his face into the god's side. Loki felt a pang in his chest at the obvious amount of pain his baby boy was in.

He carefully lifted Clint into his arms, suddenly realizing that the four year old was practically radiating warmth. That didn't seem right. He stood up, one hand still rubbing comforting circles on the boy's back as he held him tightly with the other one. Clint relaxed against Loki, one arm wrapped loosely around the god's neck while his other was occupied with Clint's thumb being stuck stubbornly in his mouth again. Loki didn't do anything but sigh.

"We'll go see what our friends can do to help, I'm sure they'll be able to make it better." And if they couldn't, well Loki was perfectly fine with spitting numerous threats towards them until they found a way to make Clint better.

Clint just laid his head on Loki's shoulder, closing his eyes. Loki tried to quell the growing panic in his mind that there was something seriously wrong with Clint.

When he spotted Bruce walking down the hallway it took all of his willpower to not thrust Clint at him and demand that he, 'fix his baby.' No, instead he pulled himself together and remained calm, stepping right in front of Bruce. "Doctor Banner, there's something wrong with Clint." His voice was as calm and smooth as ever, but it was harder to hide the worried expression on his face.

Bruce looked up from the file he was reading, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Did he say what was wrong?"

"He said his throat hurts, and he feels excessively warm." Loki shifted Clint in his arms so Bruce could get a better look at his face. "And his face is flushed."

"Hmm." Bruce studied Clint carefully, gently resting his hand on the four year old's forehead. "It definitely feels like he's running a fever. Come with me to my lab, I'll be able to check him over properly."

Loki nodded, pressing a kiss into Clint's hair as he followed Bruce. "Here, put him down right here." Bruce patted a table, and Loki reluctantly tried to set him down. Clint protested at first, whimpering as he tightened his hold on Loki.

"Shh, it's okay Clinton, Bruce can help make you feel better."

"Stay."

"I would never leave you little one." Loki managed to pry Clint's fingers off of his shirt and get him to sit on the table. He stayed close however, still rubbing circles into Clint's back.

"Okay Clint I'm just going to take your temperature first, alright?" Bruce watched as Clint nodded hesitantly, reaching up to grip Loki's arm tightly. "It won't take long, I promise." Bruce murmured as he stuck the thermometer into Clint's ear. Loki watched in fascination, blinking slightly as it beeped and Bruce took it out. "102.6, definitely running a fever here kiddo."

"Is that bad?" Loki asked quickly, his worried gaze flickering from Bruce to Clint.

"It's treatable." Bruce assured him as he looked back at Clint. "Clint can you open your mouth really wide for me?" Clint looked at Loki with wide eyes, following Bruce's orders only when Loki gave him a reassuring nod. Bruce tilted Clint's chin up lightly, getting a good look at his throat. "It looks like you've got a pretty bad case of strep throat."

"Can you treat that? Is he going to be okay?" Loki looked at Bruce questioningly.

"He'll be fine," Bruce glanced down at Clint, "I'll tell Tony to-"

"You'll tell me to what?" Tony walked casually into the lab, causing Bruce to raise an eyebrow slightly.

"I was going to say that you need to set up an appointment for Clint with a pediatrician, he can get properly diagnosed and given some antibiotics." Bruce nodded at Loki who was anxiously waiting to take Clint back into his arms. At the silent okay Loki eagerly did so. "What are you doing down here Tony?" Bruce gave him an inquiring look.

"What? A guy can't come down to stay 'hi' every once in a while? I'm hurt Bruce." Tony cast a glance at Clint, who was snuggling back into Loki's hold.

"Well considering the fact that you only come down when you want me to help you in one of your experiments which usually means something will explode, nothing will be exploding while Clint's around here, by the way, so Tony, what do you really want?" Bruce leveled his gaze at Tony, who pretended to look scandalized.

"You have such little faith in me Doc, JARVIS merely reported that there was a slight rise in Clint's temperature and I stopped by to make sure we hadn't accidentally killed him yet. Fury would be mad."

"Aw, Tony you _care_," Bruce smirked slightly.

"Yeah, I _care _about self-preservation. Like I said, Fury would not be happy if we got his best agent killed."

"Since when have you worried about Fury?" Bruce had started grinning, not bothering to hide his amusement.

Tony just huffed slightly, turning his gaze back to Clint. "So how is he?"

"It's just strep throat, he'll be fine once he gets some antibiotics. Which is why you need to set up an appointment with a pediatrician as soon as you can, plus you'll probably have to go with, to handle the paperwork and the prescription and such."

Tony stared blankly at Bruce. "You're asking me to be responsible Bruce, I don't do responsible," he paused, "I'll have Pepper take them, she'll know what to do."

"Want Tony." Clint spoke up softly from where his face was pressed into Loki's chest, surprising the three men.

"Aw, hear that Tony, are you gonna say no to that voice?" Bruce was the first to recover, flashing Tony a teasing smile.

Tony sighed dramatically, "Alright, fine, it's not my fault I'm the kid's favorite."

"Oh, you're far from it," Loki scoffed, before pressing a small kiss to the top of Clint's head.

"Yeah, well, you don't count with your crazy voo doo brainwashing magic and such."

Loki rolled his eyes and turned to Bruce, quickly becoming serious. "For the time being is there anything we can do? He seems to be in quite a lot of pain."

"We can try giving him something to drink, it might help sooth his throat, not to mention he needs to stay hydrated. We'll have to make sure he eats something too, he needs the energy." Bruce looked warily at Clint, taking in his flushed appearance. "And hopefully we'll be able to cool him down a bit, I think the fever's taking a lot out of him."

Loki nodded, casting a glance at Clint, whose face was pressed into his chest with his arms hanging limply around the god's neck. "You'll be alright soon enough." He murmured softly, trying to reassure himself as well as Clint.

It was a short walk back to the kitchen, with Tony and Bruce quietly discussing their latest experiment and Loki whispering comforting words and assurances to Clint, who would only whimper in response. As soon as they got there, Natasha looked up from her food and caught the worried look on Loki's face, along with the sick look on Clint's. "What's wrong?" She asked immediately.

"He's sick, I'm pretty sure it's just strep throat." Bruce answered as he set to work on pouring Clint some apple juice, hoping the cold liquid would help soothe his throat and bring his fever down. "Tony's going to set up an appointment with a pediatrician soon, plus he's going with to handle the paperwork and such." He quickly filled her in, snapping the lid on the Batman Sippy Cup.

Loki had gratefully taken the cup it as it was held out to him, and took a seat at the table. He set the cup down and managed to pry Clint away from his chest and turn him around in his lap. "Bruce got you some apple juice, can you try drinking some? It'll help your throat," he encouraged.

Clint let out a tiny whine, turning his head to the side and trying to turn back around towards Loki's chest. "Hurts."

"I know little one, I know, but this can help make it better, I promise." Loki gently kept Clint from turning around even more, grabbing the cup and holding it out to Clint. "Please drink something Clinton, you need it." His tone was slightly pleading as the worry only grew.

Clint whimpered and craned his head, looking up at Loki. "Ti'ed."

It took the god a few moments to figure out that Clint was actually trying to say _tired_, Loki sighed and ran his free hand through Clint's hair. "I know you're tired, but you still need to drink something, okay?" Clint nodded mutely, but made no move to grab the sippy cup, so Loki took it as an invitation to bring the cup to Clint's lips, praising him softly as the four year old finally started to drink.

"Aw, now isn't that cute, he really is your baby." Tony smirked as he sat down at the table, earning a glare from Loki.

"Not a baby." Clint managed to reach up and push the cup away, turning to snuggle back into Loki. "Done," he muttered softly.

Loki frowned, looking at the cup, Clint had only drunk about a fourth of the juice. He looked back down at Clint, who had burrowed his way into Loki's chest. "A little more?" He asked hopefully.

"Done." Clint repeated, although his voice was slightly muffled.

Loki looked up at the others, not bothering to hide his worry. "Is this bad? Will he be okay?"

"Relax, once he gets to the doctor and gets some antibiotics he'll gain his appetite back and the soreness in his throat will die down," Bruce assured him, but he bit his lip slightly as he looked over at Clint. "But I'd still like to try and get him to eat something, his body needs the energy to help fight the infection."

"No. Hurts." Clint pouted into Loki's shirt at the mention of food.

"Tell ya what kiddo, you can have ice cream for breakfast, does that sound fun? It'll help your throat some, and it's not every day you get _ice cream _for _breakfast_." Tony tried to sound excited and encouraging, "Whaddya say Clint?"

Clint hesitated and looked up at Loki. "It's okay Clint, I just want you to eat something."

Nodding, Clint pulls his gaze over to Tony, "Chocolate?" He asked quietly.

"What else would it be?" Tony grinned at him, eyes darting to Bruce who's already getting Clint his ice cream. Within seconds he set it down in front of the four year old, who just stared blankly at the bowl and pouted up at Loki.

"Ti'ed," he insisted, pulling lightly on Loki's shirt. Loki couldn't help but smile a bit and shift Clint in his lap.

"Okay," The god chuckled lightly, "Don't fret little one, I'll take care of it." He started feeding Clint himself, slightly bothered by the fact that the boy was allowing it. Usually he hated being babied like this, constantly insisting the he was a big kid, only accepting help when he was exhausted or terrified. This was new, this was slightly worrying. Well, more than slightly, it was actually quite worrying for Loki.

But there was no denying it was absolutely adorable, which is why Tony quickly snapped a picture with his phone, adding to the ever growing list of pictures to show Clint when he was back to his original self. Even if he did keep his memories from his time as a four year old, it couldn't hurt to have some recollection of what had happened.

After a few more discreet photos and spoonfuls of ice cream Clint had decided that he was done with that as well. "Done," he muttered once again, turning his head away from Loki's hand.

Loki just sighed in resignation and ran his free hand through Clint's hair, "Alright." Steve, who had come in a few minutes before handed him a warm washcloth, and he gently cleaned off Clint's face, smiling slightly as the four year old squirmed in his grip. "Hold still little one," he chastised softly. Clint glanced up and stuck his tongue out at Loki for a moment, but stopped his squirming.

"Heads up Prodigal Son, we're taking the baby to the pediatrician in two hours." Tony smiled widely at Clint as the boy glared at him, pouting at the 'baby' mention.

"Not a baby."

"Of course you're not," Loki hid a smile, looking down at Clint sympathetically. "Now, how about we get away from this mean man and get you cleaned up and dressed."

Clint sighed dramatically, relaxing back against Loki. "Ti'ed."

"I know you're tired, but it won't take long," Loki promised as he stood up, turning Clint in his arms.

"Kay." Clint shoved his face into Loki's shoulder, whining a little bit as his overused throat burned once again. Loki frowned as he heard Clint's small admission of pain, the soft noise doing nothing to dispel his worry.

Small hands gripped the god's shirt in a weak grasp as Loki walked, soft whimpers leaving Clint's throat every once and a while. Finally, they made it to Clint's room, and Loki set Clint down on the bed.

"No, no Clint." Loki grabbed Clint, who was trying to crawl back under the covers.

"Ti'ed, Hurts." Clint struggled in Loki's grasp, still whining.

"I know, I know." Loki brushed some of Clint's bangs away from his face, holding him tightly. "It'll be okay little one, don't worry, we're going to take you to the doctor and they'll be able to make it all better."

Clint gasped slightly, looking up wide eyed at Loki. "No, no doctor, no doctor!" His voice was raised a little, causing the burn in his throat to flare up. Tears leaked out of his eyes as pain and fear mingled together. "No doctor!"

There was nothing Loki wouldn't give to take away the pain in that voice as he listened to Clint, looking down at the child with a heavy heart. "Shh, there's no reason to be alarmed, they'll be able to help you," the god tried to assure him.

"No," Clint moaned, burying his face into Loki's chest, "No doctor."

"You were fine with Bruce, what's wrong with going to see another doctor?" Loki looked down at Clint, pulling him away from his chest gently.

"No doctor!" Clint insisted, starting to cry fully.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but there's nothing I can do about it. The doctor can help you feel better. You have to go Clinton." Loki hated this, he hated the thought of making Clint cry like this, but it had to be done.

"N-No doc-huh-doctor," Clint sobbed into Loki's shirt. "H-hurt me."

"They won't hurt you little one, I'll make sure of it." Loki pulled Clint up and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. "No one will _ever _hurt you while I've got you." He kept his arms wrapped around the boy, trying desperately to console him.

"No d-doctor." Clint was still crying, the tears flowing freely down his face.

"I'm sorry Clinton but you have to." Loki sighed, gently prying Clint off of him and putting him back on the bed. He stood up slowly, turning to grab Clint some clothes. When he finally found some he turned around in time to see a small foot disappear under the bed, the sound of sniffling still reaching his ears.

"Clint," Loki murmured as he knelt down next to the bed and looked under it, "Clint, come on. You have to come out."

"N-No." The four year old showed no signs of moving, still crying relentlessly.

Loki reached out for Clint, sighing again as he shuffled away from the god. "Clinton, you know you're safe with me, you know that I won't let _anyone _hurt you."

Clint was still sniffling and the tears were still rolling down his face as he looked at Loki. "No d-doctor?" He hiccupped hopefully.

"I'm afraid you still have to go little one, but I'll be right there with you. I will not leave you alone, I promise."

Clint stared at Loki for a moment, before crawling forward slowly. He eventually made his way back into Loki's arms, whimpering quietly.

"Shh, it's okay," Loki nuzzled Clint softly, "You're safe now."

Clint's only response was to cuddle farther into Loki, and whimper even more. "No doctor."

"I'm sorry," Loki whispered softly into his hair. He waited a moment before gently pulling Clint away and setting him back on the bed. "It's time for you to get dressed," he announced quietly.

Clint didn't say anything, he just sat in silence and pouted at Loki. He made no move to help Loki while the god tried to wrangle him into his clothes, trying to hinder his efforts as much as he could. "Clinton you have to stop this," Loki chastised gently.

"No doctor."

Sighing, Loki finally managed to pull Clint's clothes on. "We've still got some time Clint, would you like to play with your toys for a while?"

"No."

"Would you like me to read you a book?"

"No."

The heated glare Loki was receiving was the only answer to his continuing questions. It hurt to see Clint so torn up about this, but there was nothing else he could do. "Alright, we'll just wait here."

Clint huffed and within seconds was moving to burrow under his covers. "Bye," came his muffled voice.

"Clint, just because you can't see me, doesn't mean I can't see you." Loki couldn't help but chuckle as he saw a blonde head poke out of his covers.

"Go 'way."

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Do you really want me to leave?"

"No." Clint ducked back down under the covers, surfacing right near Loki's lap and crawling onto it. "Never leave." He snuggled into Loki's arms, closing his eyes as he laid his head on the god's shoulder.

"I won't," Loki murmured as he pressed a kiss to the top of Clint's head.

* * *

After a while it was time to leave and Clint's protests started up again. "No, no doctor, Loki, no doctor." He was sitting on the edge of his bed, kicking his feet wildly as Loki tried to put his shoes on.

"Clinton, we've talked about this." Loki firmly, but gently, grabbed his right ankle and wrestled his shoe on, glad that they had switched to Velcro shoes after he kept tripping over his shoelaces. It would be a nightmare to try and tie them with Clint putting up a fight like this. "You have to go, there's nothing we can do about it. It'll help you feel better, your throat hurts really bad, yes?"

Clint hesitated, before nodding slowly. His face was still set with determination though, and he ripped his left foot out of Loki's grasp, turning his head away. "Clinton," Loki's voice gained a harder tone, and he fixed Clint with a stern face, "Please stop fighting this. I want to be able to help you, it makes me sad to see you so hurt and miserable."

Slowly, Clint looked back at Loki, eyes starting to water again. "I sorry, don't be mad."

Loki took a deep breath, pushing the shoe onto Clint's other foot. "I'm not mad at you, I'm just worried. I could never be mad at you." He reached out and pulled Clint into his arms, frowning as the boy flinched slightly. "_Never_."

"I know." Clint cuddled farther into Loki's hold, relaxing slightly, which caused Loki to smile softly down at him. "But no doctor."

Loki's smile faded and he let out a small sigh as he walked out of the room. By the time they met up with Tony, Clint had started to squirm in his grasp.

"Hey, so I've got all your fake papers in order, and Clint's. He's now officially your son. Well, fake son. It would be a whole lot easier if people weren't so picky about legal stuff. Really, I don't see the need for 'proper identification' or whatever, but hey, that's… Please don't tell me he's throwing a fit because he doesn't want to go to the doctor." Tony was watching Loki try to handle the still wriggling Clint as they entered the elevator.

"That's exactly what it is," Loki muttered, trying to adjust his grip so that Clint wouldn't actually fall. "Clinton, stop."

"No, no doctor." Clint continued his fidgeting, changing tactics as soon as he saw Tony. "Tony, no. No doctor, no Tony." The four year old kept twisting in Loki's grasp, looking at Tony with pleading eyes.

Tony raised an eyebrow and found himself wondering when he'd become so susceptible to adorable puppy dog eyes. "I'm sorry kid, but you have to go."

"No! No, no, no." Clint continued to fight Loki's hold. Loki just sighed, hating the sounds of distress that Clint was making.

It was a long ride to the pediatrician's office, and when they got there, Clint was still fussing in Loki's arms. He stopped however, as soon as they were on the sidewalk. Loki was slightly surprised as he looked down at Clint, whose eyes were transfixed on something in the distance. "Puppy." Clint pointed at a woman walking a dog, a full grown dog that looked like anything but a puppy.

Tony cast a glance at the dog, looking back at Clint. "You like puppies Clint?" He asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah." Clint rested his chin on Loki's shoulder, still watching after the dog. Tony smirked, before motioning to Loki to follow him into the building, Clint seemed to have calmed down and there was no use putting it off any longer.

Once they walked inside though, the struggle continued. Clint snapped out of his momentary trance and started whimpering and kicking again. "No," he moaned, "No."

Tony sighed, pointing for Loki to take a seat in the waiting area while he went and talked to the receptionist. Within a couple of minutes he was back and taking a seat next to Loki, who was still trying to hold down the wiggling Clint. "It'll be okay little one, I promise."

"No doctor."

"He's still fighting this, huh?" Tony watched Clint warily, smirking a little as the four year old managed to slip out of Loki's grasp, trying to escape to the floor.

"What gave you that idea?" Loki muttered drily as he grabbed Clint again, lifting him back into his lap.

Tony just rolled his eyes slightly, glancing around the room. His eyes fell on a stack of magazines and books on a small table in the middle of the room. In a couple of seconds he had gotten up and crossed the distance in the room, a slow grin spreading on his face as he picked up one of the children's books, still smiling as he sat back down. "Hey Clint, look what I found, it's puppies!"

Clint stopped trying to pull himself away from Loki for a moment, glancing over at the book Tony was holding out to him. He perked up a little as he caught sight of the cover, which did have multiple dogs on it. Hesitantly, he reached out to take it from Tony, shifting so he could sit back down in Loki's lap.

Leaning back against the god, he tentatively opened the book, snuggling into Loki for a moment before he turned his full attention to the pictures. Loki looked over at Tony with an eyebrow raised. "How did you know that would work?" He asked quietly.

"He's a four year old, their attention span is so short he'll forget where we are in about two minutes."

Loki looked back down at Clint, who was already lost to the world. He looked back at Tony, who had pulled out his phone and was absorbed in whatever was on the screen. Smirking, he relaxed in the chair, a small smile on his face as Clint continued looking through the pictures in the book.

A small yelp erupting from Clint's mouth is what broke him from his peaceful trance and Loki instinctively wrapped his arms protectively around the child, wondering what was wrong.

"Ranger!" Clint exclaimed excitedly, bouncing a little in Loki's lap. Loki looked down, frowning in confusion and Tony, who had also jumped slightly in when he heard Clint's yelp, looked over at him with the same confused expression.

"Ranger?" Tony repeated.

"My puppy!" Clint pointed to a picture of a dog, a smile on his face.

Tony and Loki looked at where he was pointing. "Is that what your puppy looks like?" Tony asked, a small grin playing on his face.

Clint nodded enthusiastically, still smiling widely. His smile faded a little as he continued to look at the dog. "I miss him," he muttered softly.

"Aw, don't worry kid, you'll be able to see him soon enough." Tony saw Clint's sad expression, and he couldn't help but feel a little sad himself.

Clint shook his head, sniffling a little. "Daddy shot 'im."

Tony went quiet, and looked up at Loki who had a matching expression on his face. Shock, sadness, anger, and pity all rolled into one. "Why would he do that?" Tony snapped out of his shock and looked back down at Clint.

"Ranger kept barkin'. Daddy didn't like it." Clint's lower lip trembled as he thought of his dog, his words heartbreakingly advanced for a four year old. "Got his shotgun off the wall an' put one in my puppy's head." He whimpered as his throat burned, and turned around to burrow into Loki's shoulder.

"Son of a bitch." Tony fell back into his seat, ignoring the look he got from a woman who was walking by with her daughter, hastily covering the girl's ears. The billionaire looked back at Clint, who was wrapped in Loki's arms, not crying, just whining softly.

Loki pressed his face into Clint's hair, nuzzling him softly. "Shush little one, it's okay now." Clint sniffled a little more, twisting in Loki's grasp so he could lay against his chest. He stayed like that for a while, relaxing against the god.

Loki glanced up every now and then, surveying the room around them. After a while he noticed that the few other people in the room were trying to discreetly stare at them. Frowning, he looked over at Tony.

"People are staring," he muttered, gazing around the room.

Tony looked back at him with a smirk, "Well gee I wonder why, let's go through the options. There's either A; people are staring because it's two men with a baby-"

"Not a baby."

"Ow, okay," Tony rubbed the spot on his arm where the small fist had connected with him, "Two men with a _toddler_ who has a surprisingly strong punch. There's option number two, they're staring because one of those men is _the _Tony Stark. Or there's tres, the toddler almost had a meltdown in the middle of the waiting room. And then there's always option D, All of the above."

Before Loki had a chance to respond, a nurse walked through the door to the waiting room. "Clint Burton." Her voice rang out in the small room and Tony clapped Loki's shoulder.

"That's our cue."

Loki stood up, shifting Clint and rolling his eyes at Tony. "You changed his last name from Barton to Burton?"

"Yeah, it's a lot easier for the kid to remember. It's not just all laziness." Tony flashed him a grin, leading the way to the nurse.

"Well hi there sweetie, I'm nurse Lucy." The nurse looked over at Clint, who was desperately trying to hide in Loki's arms. "I hear you're not feeling that well, let's see what we can do about it, okay?"

Clint pressed himself farther into Loki's hold, turning his face away from the woman.

"He's a little shy." Tony explained quickly, reaching out to ruffle Clint's hair.

"Oh that's no problem, a lot of kids get nervous here. Don't worry darling, we'll have you out of here in no time." Lucy smiled at Clint, who had started trembling in Loki's grasp.

"I think he's more than just a little shy," Loki murmured, softly bouncing Clint in his grip.

"Oh you'll be okay sweetie." Lucy grabbed a chart, "We've just got to do a standard checkup and then we'll get the doctor to see you over." She motioned for Loki to set Clint down, "We'll start with the standard height and weight, Clint can you come here and stand up real big and tall for me?" She pointed to a measuring stick on the wall.

Loki tried to put Clint on the floor, but found that he was clinging to him with no intention of letting go. His grip was locked in Loki's shirt, and his legs had wrapped themselves around his waist. "No doctor," he mumbled into the god's shoulder.

"Clint it's okay, I'm right here. You just need to do what the nurse says for a few minutes, can you do that for me?" Loki tried to pry Clint off of him, only succeeding in having the grip tightened.

Clint shook his head swiftly, "Scared," he mumbled.

"Don't be scared little one, I told you, I will never let anyone hurt you." Loki ran his hand through Clint's hair, still trying to carefully pull the child away.

"Never ever?" Clint's small voice drifted into his ears.

"Never ever," Loki pressed a quick kiss to Clint's temple, still murmuring softly to him.

Despite Clint's thoughts being put at ease, it took at least five more minutes for Loki and Tony to convince him to actually let go of the god and follow the nurse's orders. Once she was finally done she turned to Tony as Loki was still scooping Clint into his arms.

"Well other than the fever, all of his vital signs are normal." Lucy smiled at Clint, who was back to snuggling into Loki's arms. "Although he is a little small for his age. "

Tony snorted, glancing over at Clint. "Yeah? How small?"

"It's nothing significant. He's just a little below average. His height is two feet, nine inches, and he weighs approximately 26 pounds." Lucy looked back up from the chart, seeing the look on Clint's face as he listened to her.

"Not little."

Loki laughed lightly. "He doesn't take too kindly to being called little."

"Oh I'm sorry sweetie, but don't worry, I'm sure one day you'll grow up to be big and strong, just like your daddies." Lucy smiled at Clint.

Tony was chuckling until he heard the 'daddies' comment. "Wait-what? No, oh God no." He glanced over at Loki who was hiding a smirk in Clint's hair.

"_We_ are not his parents. Well, I'm his father, he's just…" Loki trailed off, glancing at Tony.

"He's Uncle Tony." Clint finished for him, looking up at Loki in confusion. "Memember?"

"Yes, yes, I remember." Loki tapped Clint's cheek gently, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips.

"I'm so sorry sir, I just assumed, because well, you know. There's two of you and just the child-" The nurse was rambling on to Tony, who fought back an amused smirk.

"Alright, alright, it's fine… Just, never make that mistake again." Tony smiled at the nurse, before turning to send a glare towards Loki. "Ever."

"Y-yes sir, I promise Mr. Stark." She took a moment to take a deep breath and compose herself. "Well um, anyway, if you'll just follow me I'll take you to an examination room and the doctor will be with you shortly."

Clint whimpered a little at the mention of the doctor, burrowing his face into Loki's chest. Loki tightened his hold on Clint, following after the nurse. Once they got to the exam room the nurse instructed Loki to set Clint down on the small table and smiled once more before leaving, saying that the doctor would be there soon.

"Alright Clinton, you're going to have to let go now." Loki was once again trying to pull Clint off of him with no success.

"No doctor."

"Come on Clint, it'll be okay. Loki and I are gonna be right here." Tony tried to pry Clint's fingers off of Loki's coat, only managing to have him tighten his grip. "Christ, your grip is strong."

"No doctor."

"Clinton please, I won't let you get hurt, you know that."

"No doctor."

"Come on buddy, I'll buy you whatever you want, hell, I'll buy you Disney World, doesn't that sound fun?"

"No doctor."

Tony sighed, glancing over at Loki. "You got any ideas?" He muttered. Loki shook his head mournfully. "Great." They stood in silence for a moment, both trying to think of a plan.

After a while, Tony got an idea. "Hey Clint, you wanna see more puppies?" Clint raised his eyes over Loki's shoulder, nodding hesitantly. "Alright then kiddo, you gotta sit down on the table."

Clint stared at Tony for a long minute. Finally, he relented, loosening his grip on Loki slightly.

"Thank you little one." Loki let out a relieved sigh, gently moving to put Clint down. For a second, the four year old's grip tightened again, and Loki was afraid that he had changed his mind. But he gave in, and allowed Loki to set him down. He kept one hand clenched into Loki's sleeve however, and the god let him, knowing it wouldn't do much harm.

"Puppies?" Clint's broken voice reached Tony's ears.

"Puppies," Tony confirmed, smiling at him. Within seconds he was leaning on the table next to Clint, phone in hand. He pulled up a couple pictures of dogs randomly from the internet, moving through them every now and then. A smile was still on his face as he watched Clint relax slightly.

Loki smiled a little, running his hand through Clint's hair. The moment was shattered however as the doctor walked through the door.

"Hello gentlemen, sorry it's taken me so long. It's a pleasure to meet you though, I'm Doctor Masters."

Clint yelped at the sound of the man's voice, his eyes going wide as he tried to cling back to Loki. "No, Clinton, no. You have to stay still for just a little longer." Loki fought off Clint's hold, feeling terrible for doing so.

"Well, it looks like we could afford to go through this quickly." The doctor gave the two men a reassuring smile.

"That would be wise," Loki murmured as he tried to calm Clint once again.

The doctor moved in front of Clint, who was still trying to climb into Loki's arms. "Hey it's okay bud, I'll make it real quick okay? I've just gotta take a peek at your throat and see what's hurtin' ya so bad." Clint halted his movement, looking at the doctor skeptically.

"I'm right here little one, you're safe." Loki pressed a soft kiss to the top of Clint's head. Clint whimpered and clutched Loki's sleeve tightly. But he complied, looking up at the doctor and opening his mouth tentatively.

"There you go kiddo." The doctor smiled encouragingly, gently grabbing Clint's chin and tipping his head up. "Wow, I bet that hurts, huh?" Clint nodded a little, eyes still wide. "Well I'll tell ya what, I'm just gonna take a quick swab of your throat and we'll get your results within a couple of minutes. Then you can go home and daddy'll get you all the ice cream you want, how's that sound?"

Clint looked over at Loki and then Tony, lower lip trembling, before he gazed back at the doctor. "H-Hurt?"

The doctor looked confused for a moment, glancing at the two men. "He wants to know if it'll hurt." Loki clarified softly.

"Well I'm sorry to tell you that it'll hurt a little, but I'll go real quick, I promise. It'll only hurt a second." The doctor looked down at Clint sympathetically, before turning to grab a swab.

Clint looked up at Loki with tears in his eyes. "No doctor. No hurt." His voice was shaking, and he was about ready to start crying at any second.

Loki reached down and hugged him tightly, "I've got you Clinton, I'll keep you safe." He waited a moment before he pulled away slowly, carding a hand through Clint's hair. "You just have to do this for me, alright? It'll be over soon enough."

Clint let a few tears fall, before nodding slowly, looking back at the doctor. "Alright kiddo, it'll only take a moment, can you open your mouth real wide for me?" Clint complied readily, taking a deep breath as he grabbed Loki's hand.

Loki smiled reassuringly at him, running his thumb over the back of Clint's hand, trying to comfort him as best as he could.

Clint whimpered as the doctor swabbed his throat, the pain flaring up again. More tears fell down his face and as soon as the doctor was finished Loki pulled him into his arms, shushing the boy softly. "It's all over," he murmured, "It's okay now."

The doctor turned to Tony, quickly bagging the swab. "Well the results should be ready in just a couple of minutes, it probably is strep throat so I'll have a receptionist send it over to a local pharmacy, you'll be able to pick it up there."

"Alright, thanks doc." Tony watched him leave, before turning his gaze back to Loki and Clint. "He'll be back in a few minutes, he's just gotta run some tests and then we'll be good to go."

Loki merely nodded in acknowledgement, his attention still solely on Clint. The four year old was clinging to him tightly, already refusing to let go. Loki didn't care though, he was just happy to have his baby back and safe in his arms. Clint was already ready to fall asleep again, the fever and fear catching up with him. Loki shifted Clint in his grasp, rubbing his back softly. He looked back up at Tony, "He'll be okay soon, right?" The worried edge in his voice still had yet to disappear.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Tony assured him. He watched the god interact with Clint for a few moments, scoffing and shaking his head.

"Something wrong?" Loki gave him a questioning look.

"Yeah, this whole thing is wrong," Tony muttered, knowing that Loki wouldn't need any more explanation. The chat was cut short however, by the doctor's re-entrance.

"Hello again, gentlemen. Turns out it is strep throat, all he needs is some antibiotics, rest, and lots of ice cream." The doctor smiled at the trio.

"Thanks doc, we really appreciate it." Tony turned to Loki, "So I guess we'll be going then." He motioned for Loki to follow him. Once they got to the receptionist it was smooth sailing from then on out.

By the time they got back to the tower Clint was almost fully asleep. Loki smiled a little bit as he carried the small bundle of four year old. "Nap time?" Loki suggested softly.

"No. Not tired," Clint mumbled into Loki's chest.

"Wanna watch a movie Clint?" Tony smiled at Clint, who looked up at him with bleary eyes.

"Yeah."

"Yeah? Well that's good. I'm sure you'll be alert and interested through the whole thing." Tony smirked a little, "We'll find something for you to watch, don't worry."

Clint nodded, snuggling back into Loki. "You stay." He ordered softly, hands closing into fists around the god's shirt.

"I wouldn't even think of leaving." Loki snuggled him back.

Tony smirked a little as he moved into the living room, Loki following him. "Why don't we watch Aladdin Clint? You'll like it, I'm sure." Clint just nodded, whining as Loki tried to set him down.

"Relax little one, I'm just taking your shoes off." Loki chuckled a little, slipping the child's shoes off and joining him back on the couch. He smiled affectionately as Clint scrambled into his lap.

"Alright squirt, Pepper's gonna pick up your medicine, she'll be here soon enough." Tony smiled over at Clint, whose eyes were already transfixed on the TV screen, quickly absorbed in the movie.

It only took about half an hour for him to fall asleep, safely wrapped in Loki's arms. When Pepper got there a whole new problem rose, trying to get him awake so he could actually take the medicine.

Tony chuckled as he watched Loki try to jostle Clint awake. "I seriously think that kid could sleep through anything."

"You're not exactly helping." Loki shot him a glare, before turning back to Clint. "Time to wake up little one." He tried pulling Clint off of his lap, sighing as the boy mewled softly and clutched back at Loki in his sleep.

"You would think a SHIELD agent would be ready to snap awake at a moment's notice." Tony smirked as Clint tried to burrow farther into the blanket that had been thrown over him and Loki.

"Yes well, he's not exactly an agent now is he?" Loki muttered.

Tony's smile faded a little, and he glanced back at the four year old. "No… No, I guess not."

It was silent for a few moments, before Clint sighed softly in his sleep. Loki focused back on the boy, "Come on Clinton, you have to wake up." He gently rocked Clint in his arms, trying to lure him into awareness. Finally, Clint's eyes fluttered open and he started fussing slightly.

"I'm right here, it's okay." Loki held Clint tightly as he slowly started waking up.

"Loki," Clint mumbled, yawning widely. His hands made tiny fists as he gripped the front of Loki's shirt, trying to snuggle farther into him.

Loki smiled softly, shifting Clint so he was sitting up. "You have to take some medicine and eat something little one."

Clint whined, squirming just a little. "No."

"Don't put up a fight Clinton, it's not worth it."

Clint sighed, pouting as he looked up at Loki. "Fine."

Loki laughed. "Don't look so sad, you'll be okay."

"'Cause you're here," Clint mumbled, resting against Loki's chest.

Loki smiled fondly, pressing a kiss against Clint's forehead. "That's right."

Tony appeared in front of the two, holding a small medicine cup out to Loki. "He's gotta drink all of this."

Loki took it, staring at the sluggish, pink liquid in it. "This will really help him?" He raised an eyebrow at Tony.

"Yeah, it looks disgusting, smells disgusting, probably tastes disgusting, but it will help." Tony shrugged and looked down at Clint. "I'll get him some juice, he's gonna want some after downing that."

Loki took another look at the cup, before looking back at Clint. "Alright, time to drink up Clinton."

Clint looked at the cup with the same expression of distaste. "No."

Loki sighed, "I know you don't want to, but you have to."

"Looks bad." Clint scrunched up his nose, trying to squirm away from Loki's grasp.

"It does, but it will help your throat. You want it to stop hurting, right?"

Clint stopped struggling, nodding slowly. He pouted once more, before accepting the cup regretfully. He took a testy sip. The four year old gagged, pushing the cup back into Loki's hands. "Bad, bad," he shook his head violently.

"I'm sorry little one, but you need it." Loki motioned for Clint to take the cup back, getting greeted only by a whine. "Tony's getting you some juice, you'll be able to have that right after, it won't be so bad."

Clint whimpered, but relented. He quickly drank the rest of his medicine, curling back into Loki as he finished the last of it.

"Here ya go kiddo, this should wash away the taste." He handed Clint a sippy cup, laughing a little as he started to drink it swiftly. "Stevie's making you some mac and cheese, it shouldn't be too harsh on your throat."

Clint looked up at him, frowning a little. "Not hungry," he pouted.

"Well it's a good thing I've got one more surprise for you. But you have to promise me you'll eat after I give it to you." Tony took the empty sippy cup, still smiling.

Clint, on the other hand, was looking at him skeptically. "Good surprise?"

"Great surprise."

"Okay…" Clint cuddled back into Loki's arms.

"I'll be right back with your surprise." Tony flashed another smile at Clint, before disappearing for a few moments, when he came back he was holding his hands behind his back.

Clint perked up a little, looking at Tony curiously. "What is it?" He asked quietly.

"Originally, I wanted to get you a real puppy, but Pepper wouldn't go out and get one. So instead, she got this." Tony held out a plush, stuffed dog. It was just an average stuffed animal, but it closely resembled the dog that Clint had pointed out to Tony and Loki as looking like Ranger. "Whaddya think sprout?"

"Puppy!" Clint sprang out of Loki's lap, standing precariously on the edge of the couch. "Puppy, puppy, puppy!" He clapped happily, before taking the toy from Tony's hands.

Loki carefully reached out and steadied Clint, laughing softly at his excited antics. "I take it you like it?"

"Puppy!" Clint turned around and held the toy up to Loki, a huge smile on his face.

"I'll take that as a yes." Tony chuckled, but it was cut short as he was jumped on by Clint's excited form.

"Thank you Tony!"

"Uhf-" Tony scrambled to get a good hold on Clint, trying to keep him from falling. "You're welcome runt, I'm glad you're happy but let's be a little more careful here, we don't want you smashing your head into the floor."

Clint giggled at that, before hugging the dog to his chest with one arm and reaching out to Loki with his other arm. "Want Loki."

"Alright sunshine, here ya go." Tony set him back down next to Loki.

As soon as he was back on the couch he climbed back into Loki's lap, a grin still on his face. "So, what're you gonna name your puppy?" Tony smiled back down at Clint.

"Ranger." Clint smiled at Tony, before settling into Loki's hold.

"Ranger, huh?" Tony laughed a little bitterly, but gave Clint a genuine smile. "That's a great name." They were all silent for a moment, until Tony remembered what he was supposed to be doing. "It's time for you to eat something kid, gotta keep up your end of the deal."

Clint nodded and looked up at Loki. "Come with?" He asked quietly.

"Remember what I said before? I'd never leave you." Loki dipped his head and nuzzled Clint's nose with his own. "Never ever."

Clint smiled and moved to press a small kiss to Loki's cheek. "You're a great Daddy." He snuggled back into him after that, one hand clutched into the god's coat collar and the other was still hugging Ranger tightly to his chest.

_**Yeah, I dunno either, what did I just write?**_

_**I really hope y'all liked it and I really just want to thank you again for the reviews and alerts!**_

_**And I loved all the suggestions I got! I don't think I actually put any in this chapter other than Clint being sick, but don't worry, they'll all show up at some point. This thing's just getting started **__**;)**_

_**Pretty please review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Alright, so first things first; Again, I apologize for taking so long to update but school's started up again and it has been a real bitch. I am so incredibly sorry for taking so long, but I've been trying so hard to get this done and I stayed up until 3:00 AM writing this. I hope it's worth it. **_

_**Also, over 100 reviews? You guys are amazing for reviewing and putting up with me! Thank you so much for everything!**_

_**And a quick explanation, this is more of a filler chapter, once I'm able to get organized and all the next actual chapter will be up.**_

_**Again, I'm so sorry, and, I own nothing.**_

Clint sniffled again as he wiped away some of the tears from his cheek and hugged Ranger closer. The sounds of shouting increased and he slowly backed away from the room, the tears increasing slightly. He slipped out of the doorway, padding softly down the hallway as small whimpers left his lips.

Loki and Tony were shouting at each other, fighting about something he couldn't understand. Whatever it was Clint didn't care, he just wanted it all to _stop_. He hated the all of the yelling, all of the anger, it scared him. It reminded him of home. And he hated home, it was filled with pain.

So while the two men were fighting he quietly walked away, looking for somewhere to hide away. That's what he always did, he found a nice place to crawl away to, where it was safe and quiet. Where he could pretend that he was going to be okay.

His small footsteps made hardly any noise as he slowly walked into his bedroom and up to his dresser. He stuck Ranger's ear into his mouth as he used both of his hands to grip the edge of the wood and hauled himself up. Little feet kicked as he scrambled to stay on the top of the dresser, and finally, he was able to stand up, barely saving a glance for the ground below. He looked up, his stuffed dog still hanging from his mouth by its ear. The glint of the air vent caught his eye and a watery smile lifted on his lips as he reached up. Sadly, he was still too short. He huffed in frustration and looked around for something that could help.

He glanced down and got ready to jump down to the floor. But a familiar voice stopped him. "Clinton Francis Barton, what is it that you think you are doing?" Loki stood in the open doorway, raising a questioning eyebrow at the child.

Clint's eyes went wide as he looked over at Loki. He knew he was in trouble, and not just because his full name had been used. He'd been told not to wander off on his own, which he'd just done. He'd been told not to climb on the furniture, which he was doing. And he'd been told not to crawl through the air ducts, which he'd just been about to do.

In short, he was in trouble. Deep trouble. He'd never been in trouble like this before with Loki. What if he got yelled at? What if Loki decided that he deserved a beating? Or worse, what if Loki _left _him?

In a single second Clint made a decision that he was one hundred percent sure of. As Loki took a step towards him the four year old jumped to the floor, letting out a muffled sob. He barely registered a surprised shout from Loki as he hit the ground and took off, running out of the room as tears poured down his face. The echoes of Loki's shouts rang in his ears as he sprinted through the hallway. "Clint, come back! Stop this and come back!"

He didn't stop though, he sprinted down the hallway as fast as he could, taking unplanned twists and turns. Really, he shouldn't have been able to outrun Loki, but due to the random nature of his footsteps, it was impossible to track the child.

Clint never stopped running, in fact, he was sure there nothing could stop him. Until he ran straight into someone's legs and fell back with a gasp, landing on his butt.

The boy looked up with tears still pouring down his face, "S-Sorry," he sobbed as he shrunk away from Bruce.

"Hey, it's okay." Bruce crouched down in front of Clint, worry etched into his face. "Are you hurt Clint? Why aren't you with Loki?"

Clint continued to bawl as he tried to get up again. "I-I ran aw-away from h-huh-him. I g-got sc-scared 'ca-c-cause he w-was yell-yelling with T-Tony and th-they were m-muh-mad." His words were almost too slurred for Bruce to decipher, but the man got the gist of it.

"Oh, I get it, they were being loud and acting mad right?" Bruce spoke sympathetically, continuing on as he received a small nod from Clint. "That's never fun, is it?" Again, the response was a small nod as Clint started to scoot backwards. Bruce sensed that the boy was starting to get uneasy so he made a quick decision. "I don't like it either Clint, so I'll tell you what, why don't we go cool off somewhere all right? We can watch a little bit of TV and wait for Tony and Loki to stop fighting, how does that sound?"

Clint sniffled and wiped at his tears. "I-I wanna go aw-away," he insisted.

"Yeah, you'll come with me," Bruce smiled softly, "We can go to the living room and watch TV and I'll get you something to eat. How does candy sound? Skittles? I know they're your favorite."

A small whimper was his response, but Clint had stopped moving away from him. "C-can you re-read to me?" He asked quietly.

Bruce blinked, surprised for a moment before a smile broke out on his face. "Sure, I'd love to. But I need you to come with me, alright?"

Clint sniffled and took a moment to think things through. Finally he nodded slowly and started to crawl towards Bruce. The four year old stopped when he was close and sat back with his legs splayed out in front of him, looking up at the scientist with a pout and pleading eyes. "Okay, I get it." Bruce chuckled as he picked Clint up, bouncing him playfully and grinning as he got a small smile out of the child.

"We'll just head off to the playroom, I know Tony's got some good books for you there." Clint nodded quietly and resumed to chewing on Ranger's ear. Bruce just smiled and rubbed his back soothingly.

Quickly, he told JARVIS to inform the others that Clint was okay and being looked after, but told him to refrain from giving out their location. The last thing the boy needed was everyone rushing him, all he needed was solitude. Watchful solitude of course.

Soon enough Bruce was settled in a chair with Clint snuggled safely in his lap and Ranger tucked under the child's arm. The four year old was settled back against his chest, completely enthralled in _The Giving Tree_. He'd placed a hand over Bruce's and followed along as he pointed to the words. Bruce was completely amused with the four year old's enthusiasm, having previously been unaware that he was so interested in books.

Although, halfway through the third book Clint was slackening in his grip, his head drooping forward as he started to lose himself to sleep.

Bruce smiled softly and shifted Clint in his arms, glancing down at the small child. Gently, he pushed some of the bangs away from the toddler's forehead, "Clint," he murmured, "We should go find Loki now. He's probably very worried about you."

"Mmphm." Despite the sleepy response Bruce could tell that Clint wasn't happy about the suggestion. The little boy squirmed meekly in his grasp, one hand clutching a fist into Bruce's shirt.

"It'll be okay Clint, nothing bad will happen." Bruce hugged him tighter and stood up, keeping Clint safely locked in his arms. He glanced down and found that Clint was snuggling into his chest, the small head of blonde hair was tucked comfortably under his chin and the plush stuffed dog was held closely in the boy's weakening grip.

Soft breathing was the only response his words got now, as Clint's energy had been drained on the previous excitement of the day. Sighing softly, the scientist walked out of the room with a carefully tight grip on the child.

"JARVIS, can I get the current location of Loki?" His voice was barely above a whisper as he continued down the hallway.

"_He's in Clint's room, and obviously agitated by the lack of knowledge about the child's location. Should I inform him of where you are?" _

"No, that's okay, just tell him we'll be there soon."

"_As you wish, sir_."

Bruce sighed and looked back down at his charge, not willing to give him up just yet. But it was important to assure Clint that, no, Loki didn't hate him, and the fighting had stopped.

As soon as he was near Clint's room and his footsteps were close enough for the sound to be picked up he was greeted by the sight of Loki quickly walking out to find him, and Tony following the god closely. Apparently they were still in the middle of a fight.

"This is your fault Stark, he wouldn't have gone missing if you had just kept a better eye on him."

"Oh no, this is most definitely your fault. What happened to the kid being attached to you, if you were a good parent maybe he would have actually liked you and this wouldn't have happened."

"You probably drove him away with your constant drunken escapades, the baby's already traumatized enough as it is you didn't have to encourage his fear. Besides, I would assume that-"

"Both of you be quiet," Bruce whispered harshly, placing a hand over Clint's ear to try and drown out the sounds of a fight, in case he woke up. "This is the reason he ran off in the first place, you _scared _him. I would think that both of you should know that by now. Don't you understand? He doesn't like the fighting, hell, he probably hates it just as much as I do." He fixed both of the men with a hard glare, still holding Clint close to his chest. "And I swear, if you start yelling at each other again in front of the poor kid you will both become personally acquainted with the Hulk," his gaze shifted to Loki, "Again."

Tony let out an irritated huff and Loki just shifted nervously, sending a glare at Tony before he reached out for Clint. "That's all well and good but if I could just take my child back…"

Bruce stepped back slightly, holding Clint just out of Loki's reach. "No, he's still scared. This is what I've been trying to tell you. He doesn't understand why you two were yelling at each other. All he knows is that he ran off and is probably in trouble for it. So yes, he did break the rules and there should be consequences for his actions, but you also have to apologize for flipping out in front of him. You know better than this, _both _of you do." His hardened gaze shifted to Tony. "Once he's awake I expect both of you to apologize, are we clear?"

Tony rolled his eyes, "Yes sir," he muttered sarcastically.

"This is serious Tony, he's terrified of both of you. That's the opposite of whatever progress he's been making."

"Fine, I get it, apparently I'm taking orders from you now." The genius sighed and shot a glare at Bruce. But his expression softened as his gaze shifted to the sleeping child. "I'll have JARVIS tell me when he's awake. And maybe buy him another pile of toys. I bet he'd like that."

"Yes, continue to buy his love." Loki let out an irritated huff as he once again reached for Clint.

"It's better than brain-washing him." Tony snapped back as Bruce held Clint away from Loki once again.

"If you two don't stop fighting then you I'll just keep him for now."

Loki set his jaw, sending a glare to Bruce. "You can't do that."

"I'll do whatever's best for him."

"Fine. I will refrain from intentionally insulting Anthony if you'll just _give me my child_." Loki continued to glare at Bruce, who just stared back calmly.

"That's better," Bruce quirked a smile. He hesitated before carefully transferring Clint into Loki's arms. As the god sighed with relief, the scientist couldn't help but feel as if there was an empty weight in his own arms. Bruce reached out slightly and ruffled the sleeping boy's hair, smiling a little sadly as he dropped his hand.

"Come on Bruce, we've got science shit to do. We'll visit the kid later, I know how hard it is to resist letting go of those puppy dog eyes." Tony smirked as he started guiding Bruce away while Loki took Clint into his room.

"They sort of just suck you in, don't they?" Bruce agreed as they walked away.

"Someone needs to teach the kid that with great power comes great responsibility."

Bruce just smirked and stayed silent.

* * *

Loki carefully laid Clint down on the bed and pulled the covers over the sleeping boy. He sighed in resignation as a small murmur of protest left the boy's lips, "Even in your sleep I can't deny you, you silly little child." Gently, he sat down next to Clint and started running a comforting hand through his hair.

He stayed like that for a while, content to wait until Clint woke up. Despite the hesitation in his movements. After thinking it over he'd realized that Bruce was right. He _had _scared the poor boy, and he should have realized what he was doing.

Once he'd noticed that Clint was gone all he could feel was worry and fear. Who knew what trouble the boy could get into, even as a child he had a habit of finding the worst possible situations to get himself stuck in. Tony had JARVIS tell them his location and had only been a few steps behind him when he'd found Clint. And when he finally did find the kid, he could only translate his fear and worry into anger. Which, looking back on it, wasn't the best idea when it came to handling the terrified child.

As soon as Clint woke up they would have to have a talk. And as Loki checked the clock it seemed like he was going to have to wake up soon. They had quickly learned that if Clint wasn't kept on a strict sleeping schedule he would become very fussy very fast. As a result Clint could only take a nap if it was under two hours and he was woken up before three o'clock. And time was running out.

Loki smiled softly as he looked down at Clint, who had curled up into an impossibly tiny ball and had gone back to chewing on Ranger's ear in his sleep.

"Come on little one, it's time to wake up." He gingerly pulled away the covers and gathered Clint in his arms, still marveling at how the fragile and innocent creature could grow up to be a cold-blooded assassin.

His thoughts disappeared though, as he laughed lightly when all Clint tried to do was snuggled into his hold. "No, it's time to wake up. Up Clint, wake up," he urged quietly. After a few moments without a response he smiled and shifted the four year old in his grip so he was sitting up. "You crazy little thing, you can't sleep forever."

"Mmmm." Clint hummed as he dropped his head forward, his chin hitting his chest as he tried to lean towards Loki.

Loki continued to smile and placed a soft kiss on Clint's forehead. "I can't talk to a lapful of sleeping baby, I need you to wake up." He cradled the child in his arms, holding him closer. "Come on sweetheart please wake up for me."

Another incoherent mumble was his response, and Loki sighed as he started to run his fingers down Clint's sides, effectively tickling him.

Finally, Clint was starting to fret as he slowly, so very slowly rejoined consciousness. He pulled Ranger into his chest as he shook his head slightly and tried to escape the irritation on his side. "Mmmph." He whimpered and squirmed in Loki's grasp, but still refused to open his eyes.

"Careful there," Loki murmured idly while he adjusted his grip so that Clint was leaning against his chest and continued to tickle him lightly. "Now come on, open those precious little eyes of yours."

"Daddddy." Clint moaned slightly, fighting Loki's hold before he reluctantly cracked his eyes open.

"There you are." Loki smiled softly as he tickled Clint just a little more, earning a small giggle from the child. But the happiness was cut short as Clint's sleepy mind caught up to him.

The four year old started to squirm even more and he looked up at Loki with tears brimming in his heavily blinking eyes. "Mad at me," he stated with a pout on his lips.

"No, no Clint I'm _not _mad at you. I was just very worried about you, I thought you were hurt." Loki tried to explain before Clint started to become even more scared.

"You were yelling, and looked mad." The boy rubbed furiously at his eyes, looking completely adorable as he still managed to keep Ranger's paw trapped tightly in his grip.

"I know, I made a mistake and I'm sorry. But I can assure you that I am in no way mad at you. I was just worried and scared because you had run off and I was sure that you were going to be hurt. You know I don't like it when you're hurt or in danger." Loki wrapped both of his arms around the child and pulled him close as he started to rock him slightly in his grasp.

"You were yelling an' I got scared. I don't like yelling." Clint pressed his face into Loki's shoulder and squirmed so he could sit comfortably in the god's grasp. "I don' wanna be scared of you."

"I'm sorry little one, I'm so sorry." Loki looked down, feeling almost helpless as he tried to console his baby. "It won't happen again, I promise."

Clint brought his hands up to make tiny fists in Loki's shirt and he fought back the tears in his eyes. "I don' like being scared," he repeated.

"And I don't like scaring you. You're my baby, I would never want to hurt you like that, or in any way. It was a mistake Clinton, I knew better than to start a fight in front of you." Loki sighed and pressed a kiss into Clint's hair as he started to run a hand up and down his back.

Clint glanced up at him. "You're not mad?"

"No, never. I'll never be mad at you."

"But I was bein' bad. I brokeded the rules."

"Yes you did, and you'll have to sit in time out for that." Clint whimpered at Loki's words, pressing closer to him. "But I'm not _mad_. I'm just disappointed. You knew better too, you could have talked to me and used your words instead of running away. What you did was _very _dangerous, I don't want to see you ever do anything like that ever again, are we clear?" Loki pulled Clint away for just a moment so he could look down into the child's wide eyes.

Tears fell down Clint's face as he nodded and took a deep breath. "Wh-What does dis-disa-dispappointed mean?"

"Disappointed?" Loki clarified, smiling a little as he received Clint's hesitant nod. "It means I'm sad because you failed to listen to me like I thought you would."

Clint let out a sob and buried his face into Loki's chest. "Jus' hit me instead," he begged, "I don' want you to be dispappointed in me."

Loki held Clint tighter, a feeling of despair washing over him at the boy's words, almost as if his heart was breaking. "Don't you ever say that again, do you understand me Clinton? Never say anything like that again."

The four year old sniffled and looked up at him. "Why?"

"Because you're too precious for anyone to hurt. I'm meant to keep you safe, not harm you. And I never will, I promise. You're never going to be hurt with me." Loki tried not to let his emotions control him, because right now all he wanted to do was take Clint by the shoulders, shake him, and make him see that he was such a beautiful and bright child and that it was impossible for anyone to want to hurt such a perfectly innocent creation.

But he didn't do that. Instead he held Clint close and gave him a quick kiss on the nose. "And if anyone does hurt you they'll have to answer to me."

"I'm sorry for bein' a bad boy," Clint murmured, still convinced that he was going to be in some sort of trouble.

"You're not a bad boy, you're just scared," Loki smiled at Clint's small pout, "And _I'm _sorry for scaring you so much."

Clint paused before he stood up on shaky legs and wrapped his arms around Loki's neck as he buried his face into shoulder and tilted his head so he could press his nose into the god's collarbone. "It's okay Daddy, I still love you."

Loki was convinced that the reason he paused was because of shock, not because he choked up slightly before he was able to respond. "I love you too, little one."

_**So… Please review? I really hope this chapter wasn't too bland and I would definitely appreciate your feedback!**_

_**And don't worry, next chapter will involve more happy times and interactions with more characters. **_

_**Thanks for reading!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**As an apology for making you guys wait so long this chapter is extra-long, and it has Halloween! Little Clint certainly had fun **__** I hope you all enjoy it!**_

_**And I am so, incredibly appreciative of all of your reviews and alerts, I love every single one of you so much!**_

_**I own nothing.**_

"No running off Clinton." Loki watched as the four year old moved ahead, staring intently at the ground as he stepped on as many leaves as he could find, grinning at the crunch they made.

Clint stopped and waited impatiently for Loki to catch up, slipping his small hand into the god's own. "You could walk faster you know," he grumbled.

Loki chuckled, glancing at the child. "And you could learn some patience little one." He stopped, kneeling down to zip his coat up just a little more.

"Relax, he doesn't need to be smothered." Tony rejoined them, carrying a cup of coffee in one hand and hot chocolate in the other, offering it to Clint. "Here sunshine, careful though, it's kinda hot."

Clint took it with a bright smile, grasping the cup with both hands as he sipped it. "Mmm." He grinned up at Tony. "T'ank you."

"You're very welcome." The genius returned the smile, ignoring the paparazzi in the distance that were eagerly snapping photos of the 'happy family'. "Come on, let's go."

Loki nodded, taking the hot chocolate so Clint wouldn't drop it or spill it on himself while he was walking. "I still don't see why this holiday you're talking about is important. What's the point of trying to scare an innocent child?"

Tony sighed, rolling his eyes. "Would you stop questioning Halloween? There's a lot more to it, like candy."

"I like candy!" Clint jumped happily, grabbing Tony and Loki's free hands as they walked. Both frowned at the other, but neither were willing to let go.

"Yes, but can't you just buy candy? As I understand, you've got quite a lot of money," Loki countered.

"But that's not the point, kids have fun, dressing up as the little terrors they really are and running off to get questionable candy from shady people. It's great."

Loki huffed. "It sounds amazing," he muttered dryly.

"Stop being such a killjoy, let the kid have some fucking fun."

Clint blinked up at Tony. "Steve says you're not apposed to say that word."

"Steve can suck my-

"Don't you dare Stark."

"Lollipop." Tony grinned.

A sigh left Loki's lips, but his exasperation didn't last long as Clint tugged on his sleeve. "I want more p'ease." He pointed to the hot chocolate still in Loki's hand.

"Alright, come here." Loki smiled and lifted Clint into his hold, holding him with one arm as he helped him steady the cup. "And you're sure he'll actually enjoy being scared?" He glanced back at Tony who was looking slightly miffed that Clint's tiny hand was no longer in his.

"Stop worrying, kids love Halloween," the genius assured.

"Yeah, I like it lots." Clint grinned up at Loki, "'Sides, I don't get scared by nothing."

"Anything," Loki corrected, not bothering to add that Clint still had nightmares of many things. He could let it go.

Clint made a face, but didn't say anything as he went back to drinking his hot chocolate. "Nummy," he grinned.

"I'm sure it's very nummy," Loki chuckled, smiling back at the boy.

"Ah! Here we are." Tony led them into a store, completely dedicated to Halloween.

"You have whole shops for just this horrid holiday?" Loki had a perplexed expression as they walked in. He looked around, obviously not amused with the many decorations on display. He held Clint closer as a plastic skeleton popped out of a coffin.

Clint however, was happily squirming in Loki's grasp. "Daddy, I want down. Put me down."

"Are you sure?" Loki raised an eyebrow at him.

"_Yes_, I wanna go _down_."

"Okay…" Loki agreed begrudgingly, gently lowering Clint to the floor. "But hold my hand." He threw away the empty hot chocolate and guided Clint to follow after Tony, looking around warily.

"Check this out, Clint do you wanna be one of the Avengers? You 'd look really cool as Iron Man." Tony smirked, showing the four year old an array of Avengers costumes he'd found.

Clint barely glanced over and shook his head. "Nope." He went back to tugging on Loki's hand, trying to continue on. Loki smirked and glanced at the costumes, raising an eyebrow at the obviousness of the cheap fabric. Personally, he thought none of them looked good enough. Although one did seem to catch his eye.

"What about Hawkeye? You don't even want to be Hawkeye?" He saw Tony grin in return and he moved to look at the costume.

"Yeah Clint, you would be the coolest kid ever if you dressed up as Hawkeye."

Clint glanced back at the two, giving them a four year old's version of an exasperated look. "I said _no_."

"Why not?" Loki asked, hiding a smile at the child's expression.

"Because I want to be something different," he explained simply, rolling his eyes as he turned and grabbed their hands again to drag them along.

Tony couldn't help but chuckle, and Loki did the same, the two of them both smiling despite their mutual hatred as Clint continued on.

"What about a thief?" Tony suggested, glancing around.

"Nope."

"That looks interesting Clint, a… detective I believe." Loki pointed out a costume, wondering if the child was at all interested. He wasn't.

"How about a cowboy?"

"Uh-uh."

"I think… that's a S.W.A.T officer?"

"No."

"A creepy, serial killer?"

"Why would someone kill cereal?" Clint looked up at Tony with confusion.

"Never mind."

"Bomb squad technician?"

"I dunno what that is."

Tony and Loki shared a look, before glancing back at Clint. "Well," Tony drawled out, "What then?" He brightened up and didn't even bother to give Clint time to answer. "Do you wanna be Loki? I could make you a whole costume, complete with horns and everything."

Loki rolled his eyes and was about to snap at Tony, but Clint interjected. "No," he stamped his foot, turning to pout at the two men who both looked slightly startled. "Loki is Loki! I can't be as good a Loki as Loki!"

Tony raised an eyebrow, "Okay… I kind of get it. Do you?" He glanced at the god, who just shrugged in return.

"What do you want to be little one?" Loki crouched down in front of Clint, cocking his head slightly. Even though he didn't see the point of the mortal custom he wanted his child to be happy.

"I don't know." Clint's pout never left as he moved to cuddle his way into Loki's arms.

The god chuckled slightly as he stood up, holding Clint close. "Anything in the world, you can be anything in the world, what sounds best?" He asked, rubbing the boy's back.

"You." Clint didn't even hesitate, sighing soon after. "But I can't be you because you're you and I can't be the same you."

Loki smiled softly, not quite understanding the reasoning of a four year old. But it was Clint, he didn't have to understand exactly. "It's a very tough decision, I'm sure," he nodded sympathetically, ignoring Tony's smirk.

"Oh!" Clint suddenly bounced happily in his grip. "I wanna be Stitch!" A grin formed on his face, the excitement very visible.

"Stitch?" Tony questioned, looking slightly perplexed.

"Oh, um, from Lilo and Stitch I believe, he watched that with Thor, is that right Clinton?" Loki remembered that aftermath.

Clint nodded excitedly, a grin on his face. "Yep!" He looked at Tony. "And I maded him hug Thor 'cause they're ohana."

Tony started laughing as he heard what Clint was saying, smirking at Loki. "Sounds like fun."

"It was sickeningly sweet, I had to fight the urge to retch." Loki rolled his eyes as he set Clint back down, letting the child lead him around once again as they tried to find the right costume.

"This is coming from the guy who agreed to a cup of hot chocolate being 'nummy'. Not to mention the fact that you insist on babying him."

Loki glared at him. "I do not baby hi-Clint!" The god stooped down to pull the child into his arms, cradling him after he saw the boy face plant into the floor.

"Daddy," Clint squirmed, "'m okay."

"Just let me check you over sweetheart, I want to make sure you're not hurt."

"Yeah. You really don't baby him." Tony snorted, but didn't stop himself from crouching down and glancing at the boy, just to make sure he was okay.

Clint just frowned and pouted, not happy with the extra attention he was receiving. "Daddy, 'm not hurt." He glared at Tony, mad that he wasn't doing anything to help.

Loki carefully cupped Clint's chin, tilting his head to look for any definite bruises. "See, he looks fine. Now, let's continue to find his Halloween costume, people are staring." Tony glanced around, ignoring the strange looks others were giving them. "Why do we always manage to make a scene wherever we go?"

"I'm more worried about the fact that he can't seem to stay on his feet. You need to stop running off." Loki fixed Clint with a stern gaze, standing up with the four year old firmly in his grasp.

Clint didn't say anything and instead grinned cheekily up at Loki, his words obviously flying past the toddler's head. "Aww, now look at that, he's already taking after his daddy. Adorable little devil you are." Tony smirked, ruffling Clint's hair. Loki didn't bother snapping at him, a smile growing on his own face.

"Yes, well, we should find your costume now." Loki pressed a quick kiss to Clint's forehead, grinning as the four year old giggled and wrapped his arms around the god's neck, snuggling close to him.

Half an hour later they still hadn't found a good enough costume, and Clint's need for a nap was starting to show. "Daddy, I wanna go h_ooo_me." The four year old kicked his feet lightly, looking up at Loki with a tired pout.

"Oh I know little one, I know." Loki bounced Clint slightly, shifting so he could hold the small boy in one arm as Tony handed him a soft wool hat for Clint before they stepped back outside. "Thank you," he murmured over the boy's head, pulling the hat on him as the wind picked up.

The toddler made a face and tried to take of the hat. "No."

"Yes," Loki urged, "I don't want you getting sick again."

"Daddy…"

"Clint…" Loki sighed, knowing a meltdown was coming if they didn't get back soon. Luckily, Tony stepped in.

"I've got a car coming for us, figured it'd work out better than walking." Loki nodded gratefully at the other, before turning his attention back to the fussing boy in his arms.

A small whine came from Clint as he squirmed, tiny hands turning into fists in his coat. "I know you want to leave little one, we'll be able to go home soon."

"Now." Clint pouted, glaring up at Loki.

"I'm sorry, we just have to wait a little longer, then we can go." The god sighed, holding Clint closer despite the struggling.

"He certainly is a handful," Tony remarked as he watched the interaction.

Loki shot a glare at him, "He's just tired. And you could try to help you know."

"Just tell him to tone it down." Tony rolled his eyes. "You don't need to coddle him."

"I'm not coddling him." Loki frowned and pressed Clint's ear into his chest, knowing the boy was calmed by the sound of his heartbeat. He covered the other with his hand, not wanting him to hear the fight that was brimming.

"Then what the hell are you doing now?" Tony gestured to the child. "Obviously coddling him."

"No." Loki shook his head sharply. "No, we are not having this discussion now. You know how he doesn't like to hear us fighting." Clint was still cradled in his arms, and his eyes were slowly slipping closed as he was lulled to sleep. Neither man noticed.

"We don't have to fight if you would just agree that I'm right about this."

Loki scoffed. "You're right about nothing. It's perfectly fine for me to want to _care _about my child."

"Oh, don't bring that back, we both know that I care about him just as much as you do." Tony snarled and stepped forward, pointing an accusing finger at Loki. "This is where all of our fights come back to."

"What? No, all of our fights come back to the fact that you seem to think it's wrong for me to want to give my baby a simple hug." Loki matched the snarl, gently rocking Clint in his arms, still not knowing that he was asleep.

"I never said that!" Tony was also still oblivious, both to the sleeping toddler and the growing crowd that was observing the fight between Tony Stark and his mystery 'friend'. "You're the one who seems to think it's okay to shelter him from literally everything!"

"Why do you say that? There is nothing wrong with me wanting to keep my child safe! Why must you Midgardian men insist on pushing away such innocent and beautiful creatures?"

"You tell 'em honey! Men are pigs!" A woman in the crowd obviously agreed with Loki.

"Yes, thank you!" Loki glanced back, giving her a thankful nod. He shot a smug look at Tony, before pausing and glancing around again. "There is a crowd watching us," he stated quietly. The god held Clint closer, his arms serving to protect him from whatever dangers there were.

Tony stopped and glanced around as well. "Well… That's our cue to leave." He moved forward, ushering Loki towards the car that was waiting for them. He stopped before they got in, glancing down at Clint with a small smile. "Oh, look at that, he's asleep."

Loki glanced down as well, an affectionate smile already on his face. He didn't dare move, not wanting to disturb the child curled up against his chest. "He looks quite adorable now, does he not?"

"I guess so." Tony moved closer, brushing away a few of Clint's bangs. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to the boy's forehead, before urging Loki into the car. "Now let's get out of here before this is blown out of proportion."

* * *

"I can explain. This has been blown way out of proportion." Tony stared at the screen Pepper was holding up. "I am not cheating on you with the crazy alien god who tried to take over the world and has now become our baby archer's fake papa."

Pepper gave him an amused smirk. "Then what about the pictures?" She flipped through a few of them, all detailing Loki and Tony's day out with Clint. Or, as the public knew it, 'Tony Stark's day out with his mysterious lover and their adorable, bright eyed little boy.' The best photo that had been put up was Tony placing a kiss on Clint's forehead, one hand resting on the small of Loki's back for balance. In turn, the taller male was smiling widely, happiness plain on his face. "You're quite the quaint little family."

"No! Don't say that!"

"Although, it looks like you guys had a little lover's quarrel." Pepper smiled, showing him the pictures that had been caught while the two had been fighting.

"I don't want to hear this Pepper."

"Oh but it's just so cute, I mean, look at this one, Clint's just so happy." She showed him the picture of them walking through the park, both of the four year old's hands in Loki's and Tony's. "And there's hundreds more where this came from."

"Destroy them all."

"Nope. We're keeping every single one of these."

"You are the she-devil."

Pepper smiled, "I know." She raised an eyebrow as she watched Tony anxiously tap his fingers on the counter. "Something's off… Usually you'd be going for some scotch right about now."

"Yeah, well, Clint gets scared when I drink." Tony shrugged, pushing himself off of the counter. "Now if you'll excuse me I'll be down in my lab working on the kid's Halloween costume."

"Oh my God, you're just wrapped around his tiny finger."

"Not having this discussion!" Tony's voice drifted down the hallway. He took a small detour, though, quietly opening the door to Clint's room. "He settled in?"

Loki glanced up slightly, Clint still cradled in his lap. "He's a little flushed. I'm afraid he might have caught a cold."

Tony frowned, moving forward to get a good look at the child. "It's probably just a little wind burn." He sat down next to the god, running his fingers through Clint's hair. "But I'll have JARVIS monitor his temperature."

"Good, we can't have him getting sick again," Loki murmured. He sighed and moved to gently put down the boy, tucking him in softly.

"Definitely not." Tony matched his sigh, reaching down to pull the blankets up just a little bit higher. "Are you going to stay here? Or should I have JARVIS keep a monitor up for me?"

"You'll be keeping an eye on him either way, won't you?"

"Yeah probably." Tony shrugged, smirking slightly. "But listen, before I leave, I think we have to talk about something."

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Go on."

"I propose we have a temporary truce. You know, to avoid incidents like what happened today. Because no matter how infuriating you are, and no matter how tempting it is, I don't want to upset the little sunshine anymore." Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Besides, people are starting to notice us. Which can be very bad. Because if people are noticing us, bad things could happen. Like investigations, social services, and maybe even Clint being put in foster care. And I know neither of us wants that."

The trickster paused, glancing down at the four year old that had managed to twist himself up in the covers already. A smile grew on his face as he placed a hand on his back, rubbing small circles into it. "Alright. But only for Clint, and because I'm not fond of being tossed around by the Hulk again."

Tony groaned. "Oh shit, Bruce is going to find out about this. I better go before he finds me." He left, Loki smirking after him.

The god smiled softly as he looked back at Clint, reaching over to grab the stuffed dog that had been accidentally been kicked to the edge of the bed. He slipped Ranger into Clint's arms, smiling as he curled into a ball around the animal.

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy, Daddy, Da- Uhmph... Daddy, Daddy, Daddyyyy!" Loki glanced up just in time to see a small, blue, barreling ball of fuzz come sprinting into the room and aim for his legs.

Loki laughed, setting aside his book as he caught Clint in his arms and lifted the boy into his lap. "That is a very good costume little one." The child was dressed just as he wanted to be, completely embodying the look of Stitch. Tony had created what he called, 'The most amazing costume a four year old has ever worn and ever will wear.' And Clint absolutely loved it. The one drawback was that the little Stich face hood occasionally fell over his eyes.

"It is!" Clint bounced in Loki's lap, reaching up to push back the hood.

Loki returned the enthusiasm, smiling widely. "Clinton, did you run into the wall on your way here?"

"Uh huh! And I almost losted a tooth!" Loki decided that the four year old looked too proud.

"Relax Clint, you can save the tooth ruining for the candy." Natasha smirked as she strode into the room, lifting the boy into her arms in one swift motion. "I'm sure Loki will love to watch over you when you're all hopped up on sugar."

Loki frowned at the sudden absence of a four year old in his own arms. "I'm sure I can handle him just fine. Tony did think giving him Red Bull was a good idea once, this certainly can't be as bad."

"More!"

"No, no more. Ever." Loki had already handled it once, he didn't know if he could handle it again. He sighed and stood up, reaching out for Clint.

"Wait your turn," Natasha smirked, holding Clint closer, "You get to spend all of your time with the little devil."

Loki rolled his eyes, sighing in exasperation. "Why must you all do this?"

"Because you can't keep this adorable face for yourself." She smiled and pinched Clint's cheek, making him squirm and pout.

"Tasha… Stop it!" He stuck his tongue out at her when all she did was tickle him back. "Daddy, make her stop."

"Miss Romanoff, stop teasing the little one." Loki glared at her, holding his arms out for Clint.

Natasha sighed, kissing Clint's forehead before she handed him back over. "Fine, but you are a pushover when it comes to your child."

"I find nothing wrong with that accusation." Loki smiled as Clint snuggled into him. "He's my little baby."

She rolled her eyes. "You sicken me. Oh, and Tony wants you two to meet him in the lobby."

Loki nodded, already focused on shifting Clint appropriately in his arms, making sure his costume wasn't in the way. "Let's go get you lots of unnecessary candy, yes?"

"Yeah! It's nummy."

"Very nummy," Loki grinned and bounced Clint in his arms, heading down to find Tony.

The billionaire didn't look as excited as Clint wanted. "Tony, 's Hallowsween, you hafta be happy."

"I am happy, I'm just not happy that I have to tote around an overexcited four year old." Tony pushed back Clint's hood as it slipped into his eyes.

"Yes, because you look after him all the time." Loki rolled his eyes, before taking a deep breath, remembering his 'truce'. "We should get going, should we not?"

"Ugh. Alright. Come on angel face, I won't make you wait any longer." Tony led them outside, handing Clint a plastic bucket as Loki set him down.

"Do not let go of my hand, do you understand Clinton?" Loki glanced down at the child, an expectant look on his face.

Clint grinned and nodded happily, the hood of his costume falling back into his eyes. "I noticed you seemed to get the measurements wrong," Loki murmured to Tony as he fixed the outfit.

"I added it for the cute factor," Tony smirked.

"And what's the point of that if he trips and smacks his face into the ground and breaks his nose?" Loki huffed and tightened his grip on the boy's hand, intent on keeping him close. He was surprised as the child stopped in his tracks. "Is something wrong little one?"

"You guys're still fighting." Clint pouted up at both of them, face barely visible.

"No, no Clint we're not," Tony quickly assured him. He knew that if they were caught fighting in public with a pouting, upset four year old then it would not end well.

"Yes you are, 'm not stupid."

"There's no fighting little one, we're just talking." Loki moved to try and pick up Clint, but the four year old stepped back.

"No. If you're not fighting then prove it!" Clint huffed and continued to pout. "You have to hug and make up."

Tony laughed, shaking his head. "Sorry kid, that's not going to happen. I'll buy your daddy a car or something instead."

"Really, we're not fighting," Loki added with an amused smirk on his own face.

Clint wasn't easily fooled. "I won't believe it 'till you hug an' make up."

"Come on, why don't we go get some candy instead."

"If you don't I'll start crying," Clint warned, a pout already on his face.

"Clinton, you know that's not necessary."

His lower lip wobbled and the four year old glanced up at them with half visible, tear-filled eyes.

"Shit." Tony's own eyes widened and he glanced at Loki, who looked about as lost as he did. Clint started sniffling. "Alright, alright, we'll hug. Just don't cry."

"Promise?" Clint whimpered.

"Promise," Tony sighed and Clint's watery eyes turned to Loki.

"I promise little one."

Clint crossed his arms and continued to pout. "Then do it."

Loki frowned and Tony grimaced. "Now?"

"Now."

"Better get it over with then." Tony reluctantly stepped forward and hesitantly wrapped his arms around Loki's torso and the trickster did the same. It barely lasted a few seconds before they both pulled back quickly, each fighting a frown.

"Yay! You're friends now!" Clint perked up immediately, grabbing Loki's hand again. "Now we can go."

Loki couldn't help but chuckle and Tony rolled his eyes. "Of course he's perfectly fine now."

The smiling toddler led them along, still grinning as they made it to the first shop. "Aww, now isn't this little guy just adorable." The woman who was handing out candy smiled brightly at Clint, who smiled back shyly in return and hid behind Loki slightly. "That's just too cute. Here darling, you can have a little extra, just because you are absolutely precious." She dropped some candy in Clint's bucket, her bright smile still present.

"T'ank you," Clint murmured, pushing back his hood to smile up at her.

"You're very welcome sweetie."

They left and Tony smirked as they walked away. "Told you the cute factor would work."

"You know he doesn't even need that," Loki huffed.

The trio continued on despite the many cameras flashing and children in Iron Man costumes stopping to say hi to Tony. Everywhere they went they saw multiple Avengers costumes, but Clint wasn't fazed in the slightest. He only cared about getting candy and holding onto Loki's hand tightly.

Despite the many stops and pauses, Clint managed to fill his bucket fairly easily. "Daddy," Loki glanced down as Clint tugged his sleeve. "I thinks I gots too much candy." It was obvious that the small child was having trouble carrying all of his candy, and he had a puzzled look on his face as he tried to figure out what to do about it.

Tony chuckled and took the bucket from him. "You're wrong kiddo, you can never have too much candy. Now, how about we take this home and make fun of the others for not having as much as you?"

Clint giggled, before turning to Loki. "Up?" He'd gotten tired of walking, and it never hurt to be tucked safely into Loki's arms.

Loki smiled and did as asked, holding Clint close. "Did you have fun?" He asked as they followed Tony.

The boy grinned and nodded, "It was lotsa fun. More fun than last year."

"You went trick or treating last year?" Tony looked curiously at Clint, who just nodded.

"Yup. Barney took me, cause mama said I couldn't go alone cause I was only three and still a baby." Clint was holding up five fingers to emphasize his point, and Loki carefully put down two of them.

"Did you have fun then?"

"Yeah, but then he left me near a cornfield and I gotted lost. But a nice policeman found me and I gotsa eat lotsa candy in his policeman car." Clint grinned as his hood fell into his eyes again.

Loki pushed it back and frowned. "You were three and you were left alone in the streets?"

"I was on the sidewalk," Clint corrected smugly.

"Clint, did the policeman talk to your parents, or ask you about them?" Tony raised an eyebrow, glancing over at the child.

"He asked me a lotta questions. But I answered just like my mean-daddy tolded me too, so I didn't gets in too much trouble." Clint had taken to calling his biological father his 'Mean-Daddy', so people would know the difference between him and Loki.

"He told you what to say to the police?" Tony frowned.

Clint nodded, looking a little more serious. "He said to tell 'em that I fell down a lots, cause I was a clumsy little bastard." Loki fought back a growl and instead rubbed circles into Clint's back.

"Tonight's not the night for this discussion." Loki glanced over at Tony, who nodded in agreement.

The somber mood was quickly interrupted by the arrival of another child running up to Tony, and Loki just continued to soothe Clint.

It was a while before they made it back to the tower, and Loki was frowning as it was already past Clint's bedtime. "It's almost time to go to sleep little one," he warned quietly.

Clint was about to protest before Tony cut in. "Come on, you can let him stay up for one night. Best Halloween ever, right buddy?" His gaze was directed more towards Loki though, and they both knew what he was really saying.

"I guess it's alright to stay up for a little while. We can see the others for a bit, alright?" Loki pressed a soft kiss to the top of Clint's head, carefully maneuvering around his hood.

He was greeted by a small squeak of delight from the boy. "Yay daddy!"

Loki smiled in return, hugging his child closer. Tony smiled softly and led them to the kitchen, setting down the bucket of candy on the table. Loki sat down with Clint in his lap, and watched warily as the four year old reached for it. "Only a little bit," he murmured.

"Don't worry Barton, eat you as much as you want." Tony reached over and patted Clint's head, awkwardly avoiding the antenna of his costume.

Clint smiled and dug into his candy, quickly pulling out a chocolate bar. "Open?" he asked, tipping his head back to glance up at Loki.

The god couldn't help but sigh in resignation, a small smile growing on his own face as he glanced down at the boy. "I just can't say no to you, can I little one?"

"Nope," Clint chirped as he took a bite into his candy, settling back into Loki's lap.

Loki chuckled, wrapping an arm around the boy's middle, determined to hold him close. It wasn't long before Steve wandered in, apparently informed that the resident four year old was back. He smiled as soon as he saw the child. "How was your Halloween Clint?"

"Steve! It was great!" Clint stood up quickly in Loki's hold, grabbing a piece of candy from his bucket and slipping out of Loki's arms to crawl across the table and hold it out to Steve. "Here, I wanna share." He smiled brightly up at the super soldier.

"Thank you very much Clint," Steve grinned back, reaching out carefully to bring the four year old into his arms as he caught the worried look on Loki's face. "I see you got a lot of candy."

"Yup! And I didn't get lost by a cornfield!" Clint giggled and clapped happily.

"What?" Steve glanced at Loki, who just shook his head. "Okay, well I'm sure you had fun." He grinned and tickled Clint lightly, causing him to squirm and giggle, reaching out for Loki.

"Daddy! Daddy, help me!" He gasped in between laughs.

Loki smiled and moved closer, joining Steve in his tickle assault. "Like this?"

"No, ah, no Daddy!" His laughs increased, and Thor was met with the sight as he wandered into the kitchen. "Ahaha Thor, save me!"

A smile broke out on the blonde's face as he moved in and plucked Clint from Steve's grasp. "Don't worry young Barton, I'll keep you away from the evils of their tickling attacks."

Clint giggled, squealing with excitement as he was lifted onto Thor's shoulders. He stuck his tongue out at Steve and Loki, lightly grabbing fistfuls of Thor's hair. "Can't get me now."

"Really?" Steve challenged, stepping forward.

Clint gasped and kicked his feet. "No, Thor don' let 'em get me!"

"I won't," Thor vowed seriously, steadying Clint with his hands as he moved around the table, playfully growling at Loki and Steve who were moving towards them. The game continued, with Tony adding to the mix and eventually Natasha.

That was how Bruce found them, Clint, still in costume, giggling madly in Natasha's arms as she threatened the others with a pixie stick and a smile on her face. "Stay back!" Clint warned, a small yelp leaving his mouth as Bruce came up behind Natasha and lifted the boy out of her arms. She turned and gave him a wide smile, obviously having known that the scientist was there.

"I've got you now," he smiled, bopping Clint on the nose and pushing back the hood of his costume.

Clint continued to laugh, throwing his arms around Bruce's neck. "They're tryna tickle me, don't let 'em!"

Bruce laughed back, glancing at the others as he set the four year old down on the counter. "I'm one of them Clint." He reached out and tickled the boy, making him giggle and squeal.

"Da-hah-ddy!" His hands reached back for Loki, who gladly brought the child back into his arms. "You're all mean." Clint smiled despite himself.

"Even me?" Loki chuckled.

"Nope, I love you Daddy." Clint placed a quick kiss to Loki's cheek, before snuggling into him.

Loki smiled softly and pushed away Clint's hood, smoothing back his bangs. "I love you too little one."

"Aww, now isn't that sweet." Tony smirked as he watched the two.

"Shush." Clint held out a hand, pouting at the genius, before he gasped. "Daddy, my candy."

Loki chuckled, bringing Clint back to the table. "One more piece, okay? It's already late and you still need a bath."

"No, no, put me down," the boy insisted. Loki frowned in confusion, but did as Clint asked. Clint grinned and reached up, grabbing a tiny handful of candy before he climbed down the chair and onto the floor. "Here." He started giving the others candy, smiling as he happily shared his earnings.

Loki smiled, carefully pulling the boy back into his arms. "Come along now Clinton, it's bath time and then bed time."

Clint pouted, but gave the others a small smile and wave. "Night, night." The others returned his goodbye, each smiling at the young boy.

It wasn't long before Loki was running a bath and carefully helping Clint out of his costume. The four year old fussed at first, not happy with a bath, but Loki made it quick. He smiled as he pulled the giggling toddler out of the bath and wrapped him in a fluffy towel. "You're looking tired little one," he commented quietly, noting the small, adorable yawn that had appeared on Clint's face.

"Nuh uh, 'm not tired," he protested quietly.

"Oh of course you're not," Loki humored him, "Now, let's get you into your pajamas."

Clint made a face, but allowed the god to maneuver him into his Batman pajamas. "Can you stay wif me?" He asked quietly, already crawling towards the edge of the bed to reach up for Loki.

"I still can't say no." Loki smiled softly, lifting Clint into his arms for a quick kiss to the boy's forehead. "Now, bedtime." He set the boy down, laying down next to him after he wrapped him up in the covers. Clint immediately snuggled into him, curling up into his side. Loki smiled and wrapped an arm around him, glancing down at the sleepy child. "Clinton, you never told me why you wanted to be Stitch for Halloween."

"Oh!" Clint smiled and rested his chin on Loki's chest, looking up at him with wide, innocent blue eyes. "He's really cool. He's an alien and he was all mean an' bad afore he came to Earth and met Lilo. Then he learneded that ohana means family an' he found his own family an' became good." Clint smiled and rolled over, twisting himself in the blankets and resting his head against Loki's chest. "Cool, right?"

Loki blinked and paused for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "I thought you said you couldn't be me," he murmured with a soft chuckle at the confused look on Clint's face. "But it most definitely is cool. And I'm sure Stitch absolutely loved the family he found."

"His family loved him too." Clint grinned, before softening his smile. "Like I love you. We're family now, right Daddy?"

"You are absolutely one hundred percent right." Loki hugged Clint closer, watching as his eyes slipped closed while a content smile appeared on the four year old's face.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Alright, so I've been toying with this idea for a while, and I know that a lot of people have been asking for something like this, so this chapter is kind of a mix of a bunch of different ideas and what I had in mind for something like this happening. **_

_**The rating did go up a bit, mainly because of a fight scene in this chapter, but it may get worse, I have yet to decide.**_

_**I really thank you all for your support despite my lack of being able to update as much as I like, and I really do appreciate everything.**_

"Daddy watch!" Clint was crawling on top of the monkey bars, grinning as he flipped and hung upside down.

"I'm quite sure that is not what you're supposed to do little one." Loki frowned and carefully hovered around the four year old, ignoring the glare he got from Clint.

"But it's _fun_." Clint giggled, before slipping and letting out a yelp as he fell.

Loki immediately caught him before he could get anywhere near the ground. "That is precisely why you don't do dangerous things." He let out a relieved sigh as Clint smiled up at him, glad that he had managed to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. "Now, I do believe it is time to go home."

"But Daddy!"

"Ah, ah, ah, It's almost supper time little one, this is not a discussion." Loki pressed a quick kiss to Clint's forehead, chuckling as the child huffed and squirmed away.

"Don' treat me like a baby."

"Oh but you are my baby, are you not?"

Clint made a face but didn't say anything, choosing instead to fidget in Loki's grasp. "I wanna walk."

Loki smiled and set Clint down. The child was becoming even more independent with each day, and even though Loki was saddened by the fact, it made sense. Barton was independent, passionately so, and it was most likely due to his upbringing. Even now, at four years old, he was determined to show just how much of a 'big kid' he was, how little he needed to be looked after. Still, Loki could find moments that showed just how much Clint, like any young child, needed a comforting hand. Sometimes more literally than figuratively.

Like now, when a small hand slipped into his own. Loki couldn't help but smile as he glanced down, finding Clint grinning back up at him. It was only a short walk back to the tower, and they were nearly back when Loki felt as if something wasn't quite right. He glanced back quietly, not wanting to alarm Clint, who was happily babbling on about one thing or another. "Daddy, are you listening?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, sorry sweetheart." Loki smiled and Clint frowned up at him.

"What's wrong Daddy?" Apart from being independent Clint was also just starting to develop some keen observational skills. In hindsight that one was probably expected.

"Nothing, there's nothing wrong. Why don't I carry you the rest of the way, alright? Just so you don't get tired." Truthfully he just wanted to move a little faster, eager to get back to the tower which he hoped would put his worries at ease. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen.

Within seconds four men stepped out of the shadows, silently surrounding the pair. Loki growled on instinct, tightening his grip on Clint's hand. "Well it looks like you've pretty much figured out that this only going down one way." One of the men smirked, and Loki couldn't help but snarl. He was certain that this was no random attack; these men looked like they had a plan, and that was the frightening part.

Loki glanced down at Clint, whose eyes were wide and his spare thumb was stuck in his mouth. "Clinton, run home." He urged the boy forward, using a tone that the four year old knew meant that there was no room for arguing. As much as he hated the thought of letting Clint go off on his own, he knew it was only a couple of blocks, and it was much better than letting him stay. Loki could already see the glint of a knife out of the corner of his eye. Despite the fact that he was currently incapacitated when it came to magic, he could easily take down four mortals before they got anywhere near his child.

Clint glanced back up at Loki, eyes wide, filled with confusion and fear. But he trusted Loki with all of his heart. So with a small nod he moved forward, taking uneasy, tentative steps.

Loki bristled as he let go of Clint's hand, immediately assessing the situation. One of the men chuckled though and blocked Clint's way, causing the boy to squeak in surprise. "He's not going anywhere, we are only here for the brat after all." The second man kicked out, his foot connecting with Clint's chest and sending the child sprawling to the ground with a pained cry.

For a second only white hot anger flashed into Loki's mind. He leapt forward, immediately slamming Clint's attacker into the wall. A loud crack sounded as his head connected with the brick, but Loki didn't bother to stop there. He slammed his fist into the man's torso, feeling a satisfying crunch as a few ribs shattered under the pressure.

There was a brief moment of silence and Loki's heart clenched as he heard a cry. "Daddy!" He had never heard the boy scream for him in such a terrified way. The god whirled around, fear bubbling up as he saw Clint struggling against one of the other men trying to drag him away. With another harsh jerk he slammed the man behind him into the wall once more, rendering him unconscious. The god then went after the one that was holding his child, taking the man's arm in his vice like grip. His eyes were cold and murderous as he glared at the mortal, and he leaned in close. "You are going to die." It wasn't a warning, it was merely a statement, and Loki relished in the fact that the simple minded human who was trying to hurt his baby looked absolutely terrified.

Quickly, the man dropped Clint to the ground and made to run off. Loki snarled and lifted Clint onto his feet. "Go home now," he ordered lowly, watching for a fraction of a second only to make sure the boy ran off. He didn't want Clint to see this. The god turned his attention back to the three remaining men and made quick work of them. The one who had been holding Clint was first. Loki swept his feet out from under him, causing him to crash to the ground. The glint of a knife flashed in the corner of his eye again and he twisted, grabbing another man's wrist and bending his arm back, smirking as he heard a loud snap. He didn't wait to grab the knife and twist back around, slamming it into the chest of the man who had been trying to drag Clint away.

With that one on the ground bleeding out Loki could fully focus on the man with the broken arm and the other who looked about ready to either jump him or sprint away. He wasn't going to get the chance at either. Loki quickly snapped the neck of the man in front of him and turned his attention to the last one, a smirk still planted onto his face.

He stepped forward, inhuman speed serving him well. His hand wrapped around the mortal's throat and he lifted him off of the ground effortlessly. "You made a very grave mistake the moment you even thought about _looking _at my child." He smirk turned into another snarl and he tightened his grip for a second, crushing the man's windpipe before he threw him into the wall, moving forward to aim a kick at the man's head as he fell to the ground.

It was silent. Loki wasn't even breathing heavily. He took a moment to survey the scene around him. Two men dead, one close to it and another unconscious. Soon enough his eyes widened and he glanced in the direction he had seen Clint run off in, towards the tower.

His breath caught in his throat as he thought of the small boy. What if he was hurt? What if he hadn't made it home? If he'd been caught by someone else? Or had gotten lost? There were too many possibilities of the little boy being hurt or even more terrified and it pained Loki to think of Clint in such horrible predicaments.

In a heartbeat Loki was sprinting down the sidewalk, intent on finding his baby. He had barely made it a few steps before he heard Thor's booming voice calling his name. "Loki! Loki, Brother, are you alright?" Thor was in front of him, hands wrapping gently around his forearms as he tried to look over the other. "There is blood."

Loki glanced down, finding bloody splatters across his chest. "Not mine," he quickly answered, glancing back up at Thor and seeing Steve approach them. "There were men back there, they tried to take Clint," his words were rushed and he was sure he couldn't hide the terrified look as he thought of the small child. Steve immediately jogged off to see what Loki had been talking about as Loki turned his attention back to Thor, twisting out of his grasp. "We must go, we have to-Clint-"

"Is safe." Thor knew what it was that Loki needed to hear, and he quickly supplied it. "Young Clinton is safe, he is with the others back at the tower. He is safe now."

Loki nodded distantly, taking a deep breath as the information calmed him somewhat. But he still wanted to see the boy, knowing his worries wouldn't be eased until he could physically hold Clint in his arms.

Thor noticed the fear still itched into Loki's face and he quickly urged him on. "Come, we should be heading back now. I am sure the child is just as anxious to see you."

"Yes, please." Loki immediately started to move forward again, making quick work of the short walk back. As soon as the pair entered the building Loki turned to Thor. "Where is he?"

"I believe he is with Stark and Dr. Banner for now, they were checking him over for injuries the last I saw." Before Loki could move to go find Clint Thor grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Wait, it would probably be best if you changed. Clint may be unsettled by the amount of blood on your clothing."

Loki glanced down and muttered a curse, but he couldn't help but agree. He growled in agitation, barely able to wait for the elevator. It was only minutes before he was able to go and search for Clint, but it felt like much longer.

Finally, he was able to make his way to the lab. He briskly walked in, glancing around momentarily before he spotted Bruce and Tony, the latter holding a small bundle of blankets close to his chest. The two scientists glanced up as he made his way over, and Tony shifted the child in his arms, carefully transferring the sleeping Clint into Loki's hold as soon as the god was near enough.

Loki breathed a soft sigh of relief as he looked down at the boy, his fear smothered as he saw that his child was still very much alive and now safe in his arms.

His eyes closed for a small second, and Loki just held the boy close, bringing him up to press a soft kiss to his forehead. He smiled briefly at the sight of the small child, looking relaxed in his state, before he glanced back up at Tony and Bruce with a puzzled look. "You got him to sleep?"

Tony's expression was slightly pained and he shook his head. "Not really, he cried himself to sleep. Bruce also gave him some pain medication that probably helped."

Loki tilted his head sharply. "Pain medication?" He suddenly remembered how the boy had been kicked in the chest, and harshly handled by an attacker. "How bad is it?" He carefully set the child down on a table, sad to have the absence in his arms, but he had to see what had happened to his baby.

Bruce moved forward and pulled up Clint's shirt, showing Loki the bruises that had started to form on his chest and torso. "There's nothing broken, just bruised, but he was complaining about a lot of pain." Gently, the doctor pulled away the rest of the blanket and showed him the definite handprint on Clint's arm. "He was terrified, we just… we couldn't get him to stop crying." Bruce looked troubled, and he softly ran a hand through Clint's hair.

Loki swallowed back the bile in his throat as he saw just how hurt the small boy was. Anger instantly ignited once again and he wondered just how cruel a person had to be to cause his baby such pain. Ever so tenderly he gathered Clint back into his arms, taking note of the way the boy shifted slightly, subconsciously burrowing himself farther into Loki's hold. He took the small blanket and gently tucked it back around the child. "He will be okay though? He will recover?"

The doctor nodded slightly. "Physically yes, he will be fine. But mentally…" He trailed off, knowing that it didn't need to be said.

Loki took a deep breath, softly rubbing Clint's back through the blanket. It was silent for a moment before Tony spoke up. "What the hell happened?"

Loki glanced up, taking a moment to lean back against a table and carefully tighten his hold on Clint. "On the way back, we were… attacked, by some men. Four, four men." He sighed and continued on. "They said that they wanted Clint. They were organized, determined. Like they knew what they were doing."

Tony swore and Bruce looked like he was struggling to stay calm for a moment. Both men easily figured out what that meant. "Shit. Fucking shit." Tony ran a frustrated hand through his hair, already bristling at the thought of someone trying to take Clint away from them like that. "He'll be fine now though, we'll… we'll make sure it doesn't happen again. That's all, it'll be fine."

The small boy was their responsibility, they couldn't let anything happen to the poor child.

Soon enough Loki was shifting Clint in his grasp, anxious to take the toddler to his room. Bruce caught on and he smiled softly, "If he wakes up and starts complaining about the pain again just bring him back here, it'll be okay to give him some more Tylenol in a couple of hours." Loki nodded gratefully, waiting a moment before he moved so Tony could press a soft kiss to the top of Clint's head.

"He'll be fine," he repeated, more to himself than anyone else.

Loki could only hold Clint tighter, careful of his injuries. Just the thought that he had to be careful of any injuries on his child disturbed him, but there was nothing he could do about it. And that only made it so much worse.

In another few minutes Loki was briefly stopping in Clint's room to grab Ranger, knowing the boy would want his favorite toy when he woke up. He moved on to his own room, carefully laying Clint down while he fixed the blankets around him. The four year old whimpered and shifted in his sleep, trying to reach out for Loki despite his lack of consciousness.

Loki sighed with a soft smile, moving to lay down next the boy. He carefully pulled the child into his grasp, already nervous about having him out of his arms for more than a few moments. The fretting child calmed down as soon as he was bundled into Loki's hold.

The god sighed softly and rested Clint on his chest, watching him for a few minutes just to make sure that he really was there, safe and wrapped in his arms. Slowly, he fell asleep, Clint moving with the rise and fall of his own chest.

* * *

It was the screaming that woke Loki up. The terrified screaming. For a moment he was sure that something, someone, had gotten into the room and was trying to take his baby from a him. Loki sat up quickly, on instinct, pulling Clint into his chest and looking around with a sudden jolt of fear.

"D-Da-ha-Daddy." Clint had started sobbing, tears streaming down his face as he curled up in Loki's arms.

It took a moment for him to realize that Clint was still safe, still wrapped in his arms, covered with blankets. The screaming was the result of a nightmare. Only a nightmare. His pounding heart was slowing down and the fear of losing Clint was starting to ebb away. The god took a deep breath and focused on the boy in his arms.

"Shh, you're okay Clinton. I've got you now, you're safe here." Loki carefully adjusted a blanket around Clint, keeping it tucked around him as he slowly stood up.

"Sc-S h-he h-huh-hurt S-Scared me." Clint's words were jumbled and babbling as he tried to explain his fear to Loki.

"I know, I know little one, but no one can get you now. I will never let anyone hurt you." Loki frowned, because he had promised Clint this before, but he'd failed. His baby had gotten hurt and now he was terrified because of it.

Clint's only response was to sob harder and curl his tiny hands into fists in Loki's T-Shirt.

"Shh, shh, it's okay." Loki continued to try and calm the boy down, bouncing him softly in his grasp as he paced around the room. Tears were soaking into his shoulder, but he couldn't bother to care, his attention solely focused on Clint.

"T-Take m-muh-me."

"No sweetheart, no. Daddy's got you, you're safe. " Loki kissed Clint's temple softly, still rubbing his back as he continued to soothe the child.

Clint just continued to bawl, still terrified from the day's events. He was scared that those men would take him from Loki. And even though he was hurt it wasn't as scary as being taken from his new daddy, the one who cared. "D-Don' let 'em t-take m-me."

"Never. I'll never let anyone take you from me." Loki sighed and hugged Clint closer, careful not to hurt him anymore. "You're my little baby, remember? You're safe with me." He reached over and grabbed Ranger from the bed, slipping the small stuffed animal into Clint's hold.

Clint nodded while still crying, because he couldn't doubt Loki. Not ever. The god let out a relieved sigh, moving out the door. "Let's go find you something to drink, and maybe something to eat, you did miss your supper."

Clint snuggled farther into Loki and tightened an arm around the stuffed dog, whimpering as the bruising on his chest was aggravated, but not caring because he was just happy that he was still wrapped in Loki's arms.

"Are you hurting little one?" Loki asked quietly, concern laced in his voice. At Clint's small shake of his head the trickster sighed. "Clinton, you know it's okay to tell me when something's wrong. I just want to make it better."

"Hurts…" Clint murmured in between dying down sobs.

"We'll see what Bruce can do about it," Loki assured softly as he made his way into the kitchen, shifting the boy into one arm as he moved to grab a sippy cup for Clint. He easily poured him some milk, snapping the lid on and handing the cup to Clint.

The still sniffling child just stared at the cup with wide eyes. It took him a moment to position himself so he could take the cup in one hand and lean against Loki's shoulder. His other arm was still clutching Ranger, but he maneuvered so he could still keep his hand balled into Loki's shirt.

The god smiled and pushed away Clint's bangs. "What would you like to eat?" The boy just stared up at him over his sippy cup. "Alright, I'm sure we can find something."

Luckily Bruce walked in then, his eyes immediately drawn to Clint and his tear stained face. "Hey there kiddo, how are you feeling?" He asked quietly, moving forward to get a better look at the boy. Clint just stared at him, still drinking his milk.

"He's not particularly talkative right now," Loki murmured in explanation. "And he said earlier that he's still hurting some."

Bruce nodded and ruffled Clint's hair slightly before he moved to look through the cupboards. "It'll be best if he eats something with his Tylenol, is it alright if I make him something?"

Loki let a grateful smile flash across his face. "That would be very much appreciated." He carefully sat down at the table, not bothering to move Clint from his lap. The four year old leaned forward and set his cup on the table, before turning back to burrow into Loki's hold.

The god smiled softly, rubbing Clint's back and dipping his head so he could press a soft kiss to his blonde curls. Clint hummed contentedly, shifting in Loki's hold in order to bring his arm around Loki's neck and use his other one to keep Ranger in his grasp, chewing on the ear of the stuffed animal as he looked up at Loki with wide eyes.

Loki chuckled, but decided not to reprimand Clint for now. "Here you go." Bruce smiled as he set a peanut butter sandwich in front of Clint. "I just crushed up a pill inside of it, he'll be fine as long as he eats it."

"Thank you." Loki glanced up briefly before he shifted Clint in his lap, angling the boy towards his food. "Eat little one, and you can have another piece of candy when you're done."

Clint smiled slightly up at his daddy, before turning back to the food that had been set in front of him. He was still trembling slightly in Loki's hold but he did as asked, taking a while to finish his sandwich. When he was finally done the four year old reached forward to grab his sippy cup again before he looked back at Loki expectantly.

"I know, just one more moment Clinton." Loki laughed softly, carefully adjusting Clint as he stood up. The boy resumed his previous position, keeping an arm around Loki's neck and balled into his shirt while he held onto his sippy cup and kept Ranger lightly pressed between his arm and chest.

Soon enough Loki had grabbed a piece of candy from the bucket that was still filled and was making his way to the living room. Clint smiled and settled back into Loki's hold as the god sat down on the couch. "T'ank you," he murmured happily as he took the candy, leaning his back against Loki's chest. "Read to me?"

"That sounds perfect." Loki had already grabbed a book and set it in front of Clint, who was contentedly eating the candy he had been given. Loki adjusted the blanket he had wrapped the child in and carefully kept him in his lap, his arms encircling the small boy as he started to read.

Clint focused while he was finishing his candy, and eventually started to nod off as he started to finish the rest of his milk. He always liked to listen to his daddy's voice, the soothing tone more often than not served to lull him to sleep. Almost as if it was on cue Clint relaxed in Loki's hold, the sippy cup falling from his hand as he fell asleep.

Loki smiled softly, setting the cup on the nightstand before he settled Clint in his arms. He glanced down, not wanting to move the child just yet, he looked too comfortable, too peaceful. Loki sighed, mind still whirling at the aftermath of the day.

"Is he going to be okay?" A soft voice interrupted his musings, and Loki glanced up to find Thor standing in the doorway.

For a second Loki pondered the question, wondering if there was any easy way to answer. "No," he finally admitted quietly, his hand brushing through the small boy's hair.

Thor sighed and moved forward, taking a seat next to Loki. He stayed silent, staring at the child nestled in his brother's arms. "I worry about you," he finally admitted quietly, causing Loki to look up at him with a raised eyebrow. "The child is not the only one who has become quite attached," the blonde explained.

Loki frowned. "Is there something wrong with that? It is my understanding that this boy needs someone to look after him, and he obviously attached himself to me, what was I supposed to do?"

"There is nothing wrong with it, I am merely trying to say that we both know the boy will not be a child forever. This is a delicate matter."

"You are right, it's very delicate. But for now this situation is about the boy. It's obvious that he had a very less than perfect childhood and we now have a chance to give him some good memories." Loki kept his voice low, but there was a biting edge to it. "I feel as if he deserves that much."

"I agree, he most definitely does. I'm just worried about how well you will fare when your child is no longer your child."

Loki blinked and glanced back down at Clint, who had stuck Ranger's ear in his mouth, and was resting his head on Loki's shoulder, blonde curls hiding the soft, angelic face of the boy. "I know he can't be my child for long, but just let me have this now, okay? That's all I ask, just let me have my baby."

Thor paused before he nodded slowly. "Yes, of course. I just… I have one more question. You say you love this child?"

"Yes," Loki answered quietly, brows furrowing in confusion.

"But he's not actually your child, how can you love him so when he is not even yours?"

Loki snarled and held Clint closer. "Just because this is not my real child doesn't mean I love him any less. He is my son and I will not have you saying that he is anything less just because we don't share blood."

Thor raised an eyebrow, a familiar sparkle in his eyes. "You have found quite a fine addition to our family." A smile grew on his face as Loki processed the words 'Our family' and realized that he had fallen into Thor's trap.

"You know this is not the same situation," Loki mumbled, running a hand through Clint's hair.

"You have, in a figurative sense, adopted this boy. Now he is a part of our family, just as you are." Thor looked pleased with himself and Loki couldn't help but sigh.

"You won't let this go, will you?"

"Never, you are my brother, and I will see to it that you know that."

Loki swallowed before he replied, choosing instead to change the subject. "How did _you _manage to trick _me_ just now?"

The smile was back on Thor's face. "I grew up with you, it was only natural that I picked up a few things. Besides, you've gone soft."

"I have not," Loki rolled his eyes, but there was a slight smirk tugging at his own lips. "I'm merely distracted. After all, there is a small, adorable child in my arms just now."

"True." Thor smiled widely and glanced over at Clint. "He sort of resembles his uncle, does he not?"

Loki looked down, seeing the golden curls adorning the top of the child's head and knowing that the boy held a pair of baby blue eyes that had yet to shift into the confusing, multi-colored orbs the adult version of Clint adorned. "It's a shame really, I was hoping that he would turn out to be a handsome young man." He glanced back at Thor, matching his grin.

"Honestly, I still cannot fathom why you seem to think you're funny." Thor huffed good naturedly, chuckling slightly as Loki gave him a light punch on the arm, despite the smile on his own face.

"I really hate to break up this lovely family moment, but we need to have a serious talk." Tony strode into the room, his face grim, but softening as he spotted Clint. The genius took a seat in a nearby chair, looking slightly worried.

"About what?" Loki glanced up, brushing his thumb over Clint's temple.

"That." Tony gestured to Clint, ignoring the exasperated look he got from Loki. "Natasha has been sent in to interrogate the one guy who can still talk. And by interrogate I mean threaten and injure the guy with no intention of letting him go. But that's not the point." He took a deep breath and sat back, obviously agitated. "We've been trying to figure out who would have organized this thing, but that's where we've hit a wall. There are literally an endless amount of possibilities when it comes to who tried to take Clint. And there could be hundreds more." The billionaire let out a frustrated sigh, eyes going back to the sleeping child.

"What are you trying to insinuate Stark? You have enemies, you all do. That's a hazard of the job, is it not?" Loki tilted his head in question, adjusting the blanket.

"Yeah, and that's the problem. Clint's not safe here. He won't be as long as he's here, with us, he's a walking, talking target to a countless number of people and there's nothing we can do about it."

"We can protect him." Thor spoke up quietly, glancing between the two.

"We can try to protect him, _try_, but we can't guarantee that he'll be safe." Tony kept his words hushed, careful not to wake up the sleeping child. "If he's somewhere else, with someone else, he'll be less likely to become a tool for some idiot psychopath to use against us."

Loki quickly caught on to where Tony was going with the conversation. "We can't guarantee he'll be safe anywhere. Especially if he's somewhere we aren't. You are a team of superheroes, you should be able to protect him easily."

"And we haven't." The genius quickly shot back. "You know firsthand how close we were to losing him today. You saw with your own eyes how close he was to being ripped away from us. Tell me, were they the merciful type, did they seem like they would think twice before hurting a child? Because those bruises sure as hell tell a different story."

Loki growled, running a hand up and down Clint's back to keep himself grounded. "You can't just take him away. We both know that he would not handle it well."

"And our other option? Keep him locked up in here like fucking Rapunzel and hope that no one decides to go after the defenseless four year old?"

"I don't think you understand this. My child will not take kindly to being ripped away from me and I don't trust anyone else on this horrible planet to take care of my baby. We can't just give him to some stranger and expect them to be able to handle him properly."

"We don't have a choice." Tony spoke slowly, voice low. "I understand just fine. Clint will either be horribly injured or most likely killed if we let something happen to him. And as long as he's here those chances are increased drastically."

Loki took another look at the sleeping child in his arms, taking in every detail of his seemingly content face. "Can't this wait? Can't we figure out something else?" His voice was softer, focused more on Clint than anyone.

"We've tried. Believe me, we thought of every possibility. Sending him away is honestly the best one." The genius sighed, leaning forward and reaching out to brush his fingers through Clint's hair. "I don't want to do this, none of us do. But as long as he's with us, he's in constant danger."

"What will happen then? Where do you plan on sending him?" Loki hated the idea with every fiber of his being, but he couldn't help but agree that it was unsafe for Clint to be in the presence of such targeted people.

"We're not sure yet. Foster Care, Witness Protection, it's a delicate process with a kid."

Loki sighed, moving to get up. "I'm going to take him back to my room now, I'm assuming I can still do that?" His tone held an edge that he knew was the result of stress building up at the thought of losing Clint.

Tony let out his own sigh and nodded, not bothering to continue the bickering.

Loki swiftly moved out of the room, shifting Clint in his arms slightly as he walked back into his own room. It was late, very late, and he just wanted to keep the boy in his grasp for as long as he could.

The thought of losing Clint, in any way, just hurt. He had promised to protect the boy, to keep him safe. But now, he wouldn't even be able to do that.

The god frowned as he laid down, Clint wrapped tightly, but carefully, in his arms. For a while Loki could only stare at the child, fear taking hold as he thought of having to let Clint go. The poor boy would be traumatized, he already was, and there was nothing he could do to help him. His baby was terrified and there was nothing we could do.

Loki closed his eyes, trying not to let his emotions take hold.

He didn't even realize he was crying until a small palm was wiping at his cheek. His eyes opened slowly and met the blinking blue of Clint's. "Don't cry Daddy, 's okay."

Loki smiled meekly, taking a deep breath. "What are you doing up?" He asked quietly, rubbing his hand down the boy's back.

Clint shrugged in response, and moved to snuggle farther into Loki. "Why're you crying? Are you hurt Daddy?"

"No, no." Loki wiped at his eyes, pressing a soft kiss to Clint's hair. "I just love you so much," he buried his face in the soft curls, holding his baby close.

"Love you too," Clint's voice was lethargic as he started to fall back asleep, curled up happily in Loki's hold. He felt safe and loved, and that was a new feeling. Clint realized he liked it.

_**And now I'm trying to figure out where to go with this.**_

_**I've got a few ideas as to what they could do with Clint, i.e. foster care, sending him away with Loki, safe house in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody, actually being kidnapped, a multitude of possibilities. **_

_**So I want to know what you guys think. What do you think should happen with Clint? I would really appreciate some feedback on how this chapter I went and how it should be handled. **_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Ahhhhhhh my God! The reviews for the last chapter were incredible! So many things to do with this story and I've figured it all out! **_

_**I'm sorry for taking so long, life has been so very hectic as of late and I was struggling a bit with these chapters – and I split them into two because I felt like it just fit a little better – But I know where I'm going with this and I've got it all planned out, so it should be easier to continue. **_

_**Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who's reviewed, added this to their alerts and even just bothered to read this story. I love you all so very much and I hope this doesn't disappoint. **_

"Clint, come here sweetheart." Clint glanced up at Loki, who was standing in the doorway. He looked back down at his Legos for a moment before getting up and walking towards Loki.

"What is it Daddy? Why d'ya look so sad?" He stuck his arms up, sticking a thumb in his mouth as he was lifted into Loki's hold.

Loki sighed and brought Clint to the sitting room where The Avengers were already gathered, each looking grim. "It's nothing, I'm just a little worried."

Clint glanced at the others and caught the looks on their faces. "What's wrong?" He glanced up at Loki, his grip tightening on the god as he became a little more nervous.

"There's nothing wrong kid, we just need to have a little talk, alright?" Tony smiled at Clint as Loki sat down on the couch.

The four year old's eyes widened. The last time someone had said that his mamma had told him that he wasn't going to be able to go to Sunday school anymore because people were starting to ask too many questions. His breath caught in his throat and he immediately pressed closer to Loki. Whatever this was it wasn't going to be good.

Loki felt the fear radiating off of Clint already and he knew this wasn't going to end well. "It'll be okay," he murmured, running a hand through the boy's hair as he glared at Tony. He was fully prepared to let the others explain the situation, Loki was in no mood to be breaking his child's heart.

"Listen, Clint, we know this is going to sound scary, but we want you to know that we're doing this because every single one of us wants to keep you safe." Tony was leaning forward, a smile still on his face, although it was obvious that his smile was forced.

Clint nodded but Loki could feel the child trembling in his arms.

Nevertheless, Tony continued on. "You're in danger with us Clint. You're not safe here, do you understand? We can only _try _to protect you. Like with the other night, when those bad men tried to take you, we almost lost you kiddo, they could've hurt you real bad."

Clint glanced up at Loki, confusion and fear plain on his face. "What's goin' on?" He was scared, something wasn't right.

Loki shushed him and gave him a soft kiss to the temple, before looking back at Tony expectantly. "Care to explain Stark?" He prompted coolly.

Tony sighed. "Listen, Clint, we've all agreed that you would be much, much safer if you stayed with someone else for a while. Just so we can make sure that nobody tries to hurt you again."

It was silent for a minute, the tension growing before Clint suddenly burst out crying. "D-Da-Daddy? Is… Is it c-cause I was b-ba-b-bad? I'll be b-better I pro-promise."

"No, oh, no little one. You're a perfect little boy, you're not bad at all." Loki let Clint curl into him, holding the child as tight as he dared. His voice was soft but a glare was directed straight at Tony. "I told you this wasn't a good idea," he hissed over Clint's head.

"Hey, come on, it'll be okay. You'll be safe and cared for, no one will be able to hurt you." Bruce spoke up softly, trying to reason with Clint, but it didn't do much good as the four year old only continued to cry.

Clint didn't understand why this was happening. Were they really going to send him away? And if they did, why? Was he really that bad? Was his mean-daddy right when he said no one wanted him? Maybe he really was useless, stupid, and unable to be loved. But Loki loved him, didn't he? Clint didn't know what was going on. All he could do was tuck his face into Loki's neck and continue to cry. He just wanted to stay with his new daddy and new family.

Loki slowly rocked Clint in his arms, his glare still directed at the others. "This isn't going to work," he whispered, "this is already tearing him apart. Why must you hurt him like this?"

"It's for his own good, he's got a target on his back for just walking around with us." Tony hissed back, earning a soft glare from Steve.

"Listen, it's extremely dangerous for Clint to be with us. He risks being kidnapped, held for ransom, killed, and many more possibilities. It's safer if he just becomes another little kid out there, no one will know who he is, therefore, no one will be after him," Steve explained quietly. As much as he hated the idea of letting someone else take care of _their _teammate he had to admit it was the best decision. Even if the sound of Clint's crying pulled at his heart.

Loki pressed a soft kiss to Clint's head before looking back at the team. "We can take care of him."

"Really? Because the other night says otherwise." Natasha set her jaw, still torn over the idea but trying to keep Clint's safety in mind.

"This is a terrible idea." Loki wasn't convinced in the slightest that this was the best idea,_ he_ was the best candidate for taking care of his baby, but nobody seemed to believe him.

"It's the best idea," Tony shot back.

Clint curled up farther in Loki's hold, more of a small ball now as he tried to stay burrowed into Loki. "Don-Don' wanna leave y-huh-you Daddy."

Tony sighed and ran a hand over his face, moving closer to run his fingers through Clint's hair. "I'm sure you're scared kid, but this is for the best, I promise."

A shake of the head from Clint was the only response he gave.

It took half an hour to get Clint to stop crying, and the whole time Loki wanted nothing more than to just leave with his baby, keeping the boy in his care. But that would only worsen the situation, and Loki begrudgingly took Clint back to his room in order to start packing.

Clint just sat on his bed, pouting miserably. Loki sighed and tried to get him to talk, but the child was adamant about staying quiet. He was shaken and scared and Loki couldn't blame him for being so nervous. "Do you want to bring some of your toys?" The god crouched down in front of Clint, pulling a blanket around the trembling boy's shoulders.

"Nuh uh." Clint stuck his thumb in his mouth, effectively ending the short conversation.

Loki nodded softly, moving forward to place a gentle kiss to Clint's forehead before he continued to pack up his baby's things. It was a lot harder he thought it was going to be. With every piece of clothing and stray toy he packed, his fear of losing Clint only heightened.

He finally zipped up Clint's backpack, setting it next to the boy instead of adding to the suitcases in the corner that Tony had prepared to send to Clint's new caretakers. "What about Ranger? Do you want to take him?" He grabbed the stuffed dog and set it in the boy's lap, taking a seat next to him.

Clint answered with a slight nod, hugging Ranger to his chest as if his life depended on it.

Loki fought back tears as he lifted Clint into his lap and buried his face in the boy's curls. "Clint, I love you more than anything, you know that right? I need you to understand that I am doing this for you, I just want to keep you safe. Alright, little one? You are the only thing I care about right now and I would be absolutely devastated if something bad happened to you."

Clint glanced back up at him. "But I wanna be wif you Daddy. I love _you_ an' I don't wanna leave you. I don't wanna live wif someone else. I wanna be wif my family."

And if those words didn't break Loki's heart than Clint's wide, misery filled, baby blue eyes certainly did the trick.

"Well, sometimes sweetheart, what we want isn't always what we need." Loki had to take a deep breath to keep from losing his composure in front of his child.

"But I need you," Clint insisted, holding back his own tears.

Loki was almost certain he wasn't going to be able to handle this. "Clint, listen to me, I need you too. But I know what's best for you. And I need you to trust me with this, alright? I promise you that everything will be okay. You just have to trust me."

"I trust you Daddy. But I don't wanna leave you." Clint tried to stay burrowed into Loki, his hands clinging to him as if they wouldn't be able to be separated if he just held on tight enough.

"I wish you didn't have to, but it's for the best." For some reason it felt wrong to say that when Loki himself didn't believe it.

There was no response on Clint's part as he only held on tightly, forcing back the tears and sobs. He had cried enough that day, and maybe if he was good enough Loki would be willing to keep him.

It served to be a false hope as Loki stood up, carefully shifting Clint to one arm as he grabbed the backpack with his other. "It's almost time to go Clinton."

Clint sniffled but didn't cry. Loki didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad one.

They made their way back to the team, where the others were anxiously waiting to say goodbye. Clint barely said a word, and nobody dared to try and take him from Loki's hold just yet. Despite the many assurances and words of encouragement, Clint was still shaking and sniffling in Loki's arms.

It only got harder as he started to beg. "Please Daddy, _please_. I'll be better, please jus' lemme stay. I love you Daddy, I don' wanna leave." Clint was whimpering up at Loki as they made their way down to the lobby with Tony.

Loki swallowed thickly. "You're already an amazing little boy Clinton, this isn't because of you, it's just because some bad people will hurt you if you stay with us."

"I don't care, I want _you_."

Loki knew that tone. It was one that he absolutely feared. Clint was about to throw an all-out fit, complete with screaming, kicking, and intense sobbing. He had to give the boy some credit, it seemed as if it was a final coup de grace, so to speak, and Clint was going to pull out all the stops in a last ditch effort.

But surprisingly, Clint didn't pitch a fit. Instead he went back to his previous silence. Loki knew his baby well enough to know that something wasn't right; it was almost like waiting for the proverbial storm.

The elevator dinged and Loki reluctantly followed Tony out, catching a glance at the couple who would be the ones taking his child into their care. He immediately hated them.

"Wow, way to be subtle with the jealousy vibe there. It's like I can practically feel the hate radiating off of you."

Loki glared at Tony. "How do you know it's not directed at you?"

Tony sighed and stopped walking, motioning for Loki to do the same. "Listen, I know this isn't what you'd prefer, I mean, it's definitely not what I want. But we're doing what's right. Just try to remember that Clint will be safe."

Loki glanced down at the child, who was watching the interaction between the two with wide eyes.

"I'm just not comfortable with the idea of someone else taking my son." Which basically translated into, 'I don't trust these people and I will kill you and them if anything happens to Clint.'

"Hey, he'll be okay. Those people, Jason and Monica Reston, they're good people. Handpicked by me, complete with extensive background research. Not so much as a fucking speeding ticket-"

"Watch your language around Clint."

"Really? Seriously? You're almost as bad as Captain Tightass now. Fine, I get it, don't give me that look. Anyway, he'll be fine with them. They don't know the details but they do know it's a special case, besides they're great. Jason just made senior partner in his law firm, Monica runs her business from home. It'll be completely domestic. The worst thing that could happen is Clint could get smothered in a blanket."

"That can actually _happen_?"

"Ohhh that was the wrong thing to say wasn't it? Sorry. But the point is this is what's best."

Loki wished people would stop saying that, he wished _he _would stop saying that. Because he knew, he absolutely knew that this wasn't what was best.

But there was nothing he could do. He could only hope that Clint would be okay.

Tony stared at him for a moment, before sighing. "We better get going."

It was then that Clint spoke up, voice small and wavering as he reached out to snag Tony's suit jacket in a tiny fist. "Don't make me go Papa, please don' make me go."

The genius groaned, wincing at the way Clint's words made him instantly regret the decision. "Come on kid, don't be like that. Don't do this to me now." Tony's demeanor softened as he turned around and framed Clint's face with his hands. "I don't want you to leave Clint, I would absolutely love to keep you here. But we've explained this to you, you're not safe here."

"But Daddy said he could keep me safe. So can you." Clint twisted a hand into Tony's sleeve, looking up at him with undoubtable misery.

Tony felt like the worst person in the world as he glanced back over at Jason and Monica, before returning his gaze to Clint. "We shouldn't have to Clint, you're in too much danger here."

Clint nodded and sniffled, tugging on Tony's sleeve some more. "Hug and kiss goodbye?"

"Alright kiddo, just can't say no to you, can I?" The billionaire carefully wrapped his arms around Clint, trying not to get too close to Loki before he placed a small kiss on the tip of the boy's nose. "I'll miss you Clint."

"I'll miss you too Papa." The innocent little voice tugged at Tony's conscience. Not to mention his words of choice. He had no clue when Clint had decided to start calling him that, but God, it made everything hurt one hundred percent worse.

"I'm going to go greet the Restons." Tony glanced over before turning back to Loki. "Perfect time for you to say goodbye now I guess." He walked away, leaving Clint and Loki alone.

Loki sighed and reluctantly lowered Clint to the ground, shifting him so he could slip the backpack onto the boy's shoulders.

Clint balked at the idea of being set down, but he did as Loki wanted.

Something still wasn't right. Loki _knew _Clint, he was already stubborn, determined, smart, resourceful, and most of all, despite his fierce independence, he was incredibly needy. There was no way Clint was going to leave without any sort of fight.

Loki carefully adjusted the backpack and fixed Clint's collar before giving him a small, forced smile. "Don't worry, Clinton, everything's going to be okay."

"Do I hafta leave cause you don' love me anymore?"

And there it was. Clint's last protest, his final fight. The boy really did know how to tug at Loki's heartstrings. He would have preferred a tantrum. "No, oh no little one. Of course not, don't even think that."

"Then why're you sendin' me away?"

Loki sighed, he despised the amount of pain he was putting Clint in. "Here." He gently took one of Clint's small hands in his own and placed it against his chest. "Do you feel that Clint? That soft thumping?" Clint nodded with a sniffle, confusion masking his features for a moment. "That's my heart," Loki explained quietly, "And right now, it's beating with all the strength it can muster because it's so full of love for my little baby."

Clint let a smile flicker onto his face for a moment. "Your heart's wrong Daddy, 'm not a baby."

"You always will be to me." Loki returned the tiny smile, his thumb brushing over the back of Clint's hand while the four year old looked thoughtful.

"Daddy..."

"Yes?"

"My heart's beatin' cause I gots a daddy who loves me. But it's also really scared cause I hafta leave now." Clint wiped at a few stray tears that had fallen, his other hand closing into a fist in Loki's shirt.

"Well you can tell your heart that Daddy knows nothing bad can happen to you. And that as long as you know that, your heart will beat strong."

Clint nodded and took a shaky breath, his face suddenly set with determination. "I'll be strong for you Daddy, I promise." For a second Loki saw the man he would become, the fearless soldier. No, Clint wasn't fearless, he was courageous. He did what was right for the good of others, despite any semblance of fear. His heart truly beat strong.

Loki was suddenly haunted by his own words. _You have heart_. His actions had been twisted, poison in the air. But his words for once, had rung true. As much as it pained him to think that he had been right in such a horrible circumstance, he knew he couldn't deny the truth.

"Will I see you again?" Clint's small voice interrupted his thoughts and Loki curled his hand around the shaking fist on his chest.

"Many times, one day you'll be able to come back for good Clint, I can promise you that." The god smiled softly at the child.

"Soon?"

Loki took a deep breath, because he didn't know when Clint was going to return to his normal age. "Soon." For some reason lying to his baby almost made him sick. It was a new feeling, and he hated it.

Clint nodded and moved forward to give Loki one last hug. His face burrowed into the god's neck and Loki could feel his warm, shaky breath and the way the child was trembling ever so slightly. "I love you Daddy."

He didn't even hesitate before he returned the words. "I love you too little one." Loki thought about hanging onto Clint and not letting go, refusing to let them take the child away. But that would only worsen the situation for Clint, and there was no way he was going to put the boy any more pain.

Reluctantly, he pulled away, a hand still cupping the back of Clint's head as he glanced back at the others, who were starting to approach. "It's time to go now Clinton," he hesitated and took a moment to compose himself, his own words sending daggers into his heart, "Remember what I've told you. You'll be okay."

Clint nodded, determined despite the obvious pain in his eyes. "I'll be strong."

"I know." Loki managed to force out a weak smile, his fingers running through Clint's curly locks for a moment before he leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. "I know."

He slowly stood up, barely able to bear looking Clint in the eyes as he took him by the hand and followed the others to the car outside. When Clint was buckled in and situated nicely into his booster seat Loki leaned down to place one last kiss to the tip of his tiny nose.

Before he pulled away, however, a small hand caught his wrist. "You'll be okay too Daddy."

Loki swallowed thickly and nodded, glancing down as tears welled up in his eyes. "I will." His lie made it hurt that much more, and the only thing worse was having to stand up and watch as Tony shut the car door and the vehicle slowly pulled away and started down the street.

He managed to hold back his tears until the car was completely out of sight. He briefly registered the sound of Tony starting to say something, and a hand being hesitantly put on his arm.

At that moment, he didn't care that it was Stark who was there, or that they were in the middle of the sidewalk, where anyone could see. Loki turned and buried his face in Tony's shoulder, holding onto the man tightly as he let the tears fall.

It was awkward, more than awkward really. He was hunched over to compensate for the height difference, and Tony was barely gripping his forearms. His breathing was labored and his sobs only increasing as he thought of Clint, _his baby_, now scared and alone. Terrified. And there was nothing he could do to help, to make the fear and pain go away. It hurt. It hurt more than he could ever imagine and he could only hope to ever see his child again.

But for now, all he could do was cry. Loki let go of his pride and his anger, his hatred and jealousy, and just focused on one thing.

The fact that he might never again see the little ball of energy and blonde curls and bright blue eyes and slightly crooked front teeth and _hope_. He wouldn't get to hold a warm, sleeping bundle of blankets close to his chest, or hear the high pitched ringing of childlike laughter that was just contagious. The smiles and small hands slipped into his own. He would even miss the yelling and crying and kicking and when he would scream that he hated his Daddy before apologizing moments later, voice raw and broken, because he didn't really hate his Daddy, he loved him more than anything, even Ranger. Not to mention the dark nights when sniffles and hiccups translated to fear and the need for a pair of strong, yet gentle arms surrounding him and holding him close and to not just _say_ everything was going to be okay, but _assure_ him.

And Loki, despite it all, what he said, what he hid, Loki needed Clint as much as Clint needed him. Loki needed someone to care for and protect, he needed that bright spot of happiness and undying optimism that the boy carried despite everything that seemed to want to crush his soul. Loki needed something beautiful and brilliant and perfectly innocent to love, and Clint was that something. But now he was gone.

So Loki didn't care as he sobbed into Stark's shoulder, because his baby was gone and there was nothing he could do about it.

After a while Loki had composed himself enough that he could barely make out some form of rambling from Tony, the result of him trying to handle the situation no doubt. Loki hardly cared though, he was still focused on the fact that Clint was gone and he wasn't there to help his child.

It took even longer for Loki's tears to cease and he had to give Stark credit, he was dealing with the situation quite well. His hands were still awkwardly set on Loki's arms, and he was trying his best not to do anything to make the situation any more embarrassing for either of them. Loki sighed but still kept himself pressed into Tony. "Sorry," he finally murmured.

"It's… It's okay. I get it."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Loki and Tony were still in that position, neither knowing what to do until the genius spoke up. "You want a drink?"

A dry chuckle was the next response. "_Yes_."


	9. Chapter 9

Clint refused to speak as soon as they pulled away from Stark Tower.

Jason and Monica were nice, but he didn't trust them. Despite what his Daddy said he was still scared, but he had to be strong.

It was just hard, that's all.

His new caretakers were asking him a bunch of questions. What was his favorite color? Favorite food? Did he like to play games or read books? Watch TV or play outside?

Clint didn't answer any of them. They caught on quickly that he wasn't going to talk and Clint saw them share a smile. He didn't know why though, because it certainly wasn't a happy one. It reminded him of the way Loki would smile at him when Clint talked about his mamma or Barney or Mean-Daddy.

He really missed his Daddy now.

It was a while until they reached their destination, a small house in the middle of a pretty looking street. Clint stared out the window, taking it all in silently. He jumped when Monica opened his door, not realizing that they had finally stopped. She leaned in to unbuckle him and Clint shook his head when she offered to carry him.

He timidly got out of the car, still hugging Ranger to his chest as he followed Monica up the steps to the house. Jason was behind them, carrying a few of Clint's bags.

"Well come on sweetie, it's almost dinner time. Do you have anything special you want?" Clint glanced up at Monica, blinking in confusion before he shook his head. She smiled down at him and glanced at Jason. "Alright, then why don't I start on dinner and Jason will take you to room, how does that sound?"

Clint nodded timidly, glancing over at the man who was giving him the same smile as Monica. "Come on buddy." He motioned for the boy to follow him, and Clint did with uncertain footsteps.

Jason set his bags down on the floor before crouching in front of the toddler. "Would you like to come back downstairs and watch some TV, or play with some of your toys or something?"

Clint just shook his head and stayed still, eyes flicking over to the bed.

"Would you like to take a small nap before Monica has dinner ready?"

Clint nodded.

"Alright buddy, up you go." Jason patted the bed, watching in interest as Clint scampered onto it. "We'll be right downstairs in case you need anything. Don't be afraid to ask for something, okay?"

But Clint didn't make any notice that he heard the man. Instead he curled up on top of the covers, keeping Ranger tight in his grasp as he closed his eyes.

Jason smiled softly as he took in the sight, and carefully moved to slip off Clint's shoes and cover the child with a blanket.

Clint didn't flinch as Jason moved around him, and if he kept his eyes closed he could pretend it was his Daddy there.

But then the door closed as he walked out and Clint was left alone. In more ways than one. He couldn't bring himself to dwell on it. He was too exhausted from the day's events and was soon asleep.

"What's he doing up there?" Monica asked as she saw her husband walk down the stairs.

"Just taking a quick nap. Poor kid's exhausted, no surprise there." He started to gets plates and cups out, setting the table.

"You're probably right. But you know we can't let him sleep for too long, those instructions Mr. Stark gave us were very specific with bedtimes and such." She searched through the cupboards, trying to find something that would please the small boy that was now with them.

Jason chuckled slightly. "Yeah, yeah, those instructions were specific for _everything_, this kid's gotta be real important."

Monica snorted and finally settled on spaghetti. "He probably is. And you know we have to take this seriously, I'm sure your Louisville Slugger won't keep us safe from a bunch of angry superheroes."

"You never know until you try."

"I'd rather you not." She set to work on starting their food, rolling her eyes slightly. "Besides, this is good practice, you said so yourself. It's good preparation for when we have one of our own." A smile warmed her face, and it was returned by Jason.

"So far so good, I'm sure it can't be that bad."

"Careful there, you'll jinx us. I'm not taking any chances with this kid." Monica shot him a fake glare, earning another indignant laugh.

"Relax, this'll work out just fine. The boy's easy to take care of, all he does is sit there. I'm sure if we just set him in front of the TV and give him a few books it'll work out great."

"You better hope you're right." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before turning back to the food. "Wake him up in twenty minutes, alright?"

"Alright."

Dinner was uneventful; Clint silently ate his meal, though he didn't eat much. He was quiet and subdued, picking at his food despite Monica and Jason insisting that he should eat more. When they realized the effort was futile Jason set to work on cleaning up while Monica took him back up for a bath.

"Are you okay darling, do you feel sick?"

Clint just shook his head, he only wanted Daddy. That was all.

A soft hand was set on his forehead, and only when she was sure that he wasn't running a fever did Monica set him down on the bathroom tile. "Don't worry Clint, you'll be fine soon enough. I know it must be scary to be here, but Mr. Stark told us that you won't have to stay here long." She smiled at him and Clint only fiddled with his T-Shirt.

Monica let out a soft sigh and started the water, making sure it was the right temperature before she started to help Clint with his clothes. Just as with dinner, Clint didn't do much, and he certainly said less. She figured he was still just in shock, and probably terrified.

She made sure to make the bath quick, and the boy didn't protest as he was lifted out. After being dried off and changed into a pair of pajamas he was free to do as he pleased. Despite that, Clint only sat in his room, looking through a few of the books that had been packed into his backpack. He was silent whenever Jason or Monica checked up on him.

It didn't take long for his bedtime to roll around, and Clint made no protest as Monica came to tuck him into bed. "Would you like me to turn on a nightlight?"

Clint blinked, before shaking his head. He didn't want these new people to think he was a baby, he could handle the dark.

She gave him a soft smile before she pulled the covers over him and smoothed back his hair. "Jason and I will be right down the hall if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask." Monica gave him one last smile before she quietly slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind her and leaving Clint in the dark. Alone.

As soon as her footsteps faded away fear started to take hold of the four year old. He was in a new house, a new bed, a new life almost, and he hated it.

He missed everything about his family, and he missed Daddy most of all. Especially now.

Usually his Daddy would tell him a story, ones that he didn't quite understand, but would love to listen to anyways. And he would tuck Clint into bed with a soft kiss and a warm hug and light words of 'I love you little one' and Clint would respond with a sleepy 'I love you too Daddy'. And even though Clint _certainly _wasn't afraid of the dark, Daddy would stay with him until he fell asleep, just to keep him safe.

He really wished his Daddy was there now.

But Clint was strong, just like he said he was going to be. Before his new family, Clint had always had to fight for himself. It was all he knew how to do, and he could do it again. Barney had always talked about running away, he would promise Clint that one day they were going to leave and never come back.

But Clint wasn't going to run away, he was going to run towards something. Someone, really.

Quietly, he slipped out of bed, his footsteps almost nonexistent as he padded around the room. His backpack, Barney said they would have to travel light. So Clint was only determined to take what he needed. Of course, the most important toys were packed up first, because honestly, what else could a boy need on a journey like this.

He glanced over at his clothes, wrinkling his nose slightly. Clothes were boring, he decided he didn't need them. Except… His jacket was sitting on top of one of the suitcases, and Daddy would insist that he wear it. But it wasn't that cold out, and jackets were too uncomfortable. But he knew Tony had put something in his pocket right before he left.

Curiously, he walked over and reached into the pocket, pulling out a dollar bill. He didn't know much about money, he didn't know how much it was worth or what it could buy, but he didn't really care. He just knew he could use it for something, 'cause Barney always said they would need money if they were gonna make it on the streets.

Clint finished packing up the things he needed and carefully moved to pull on his shoes. Iron Man ones that even lit up when he walked. Now was the hard part, getting out. He knew he couldn't go out the door, he was sure to be heard.

Thankfully, he'd followed Barney out their bedroom window many times before when they would sneak out to meet up with some of Barney's older friends who had cigarettes and cheap, watery cans of beer. Clint was only allowed to go along because they said he was a good lookout.

So, with the ease of experience, Clint tiptoed up to the small bench that was resting just under the window and peered outside. There was a small portion of the roof that jutted out in front of the window, and most importantly, there was a sturdy branch that would serve as the perfect bridge between the roof and the a tree that he could easily climb down.

Clint adjusted the backpack on his shoulders before gasping and scampering back to his bed, fingers closing around the small, soft paw of his favorite stuffed animal. He debated carrying the dog, but eventually decided on stuffing it into his backpack.

He resumed his previous actions, struggling a little to open the latch and push the window up. But he finally opened it, and was met with a cool gust of wind. Maybe he should grab his jacket. But it was too late now; his small body was already slipping through the small opening.

His feet hit the roof with a soft thump, barely able to be heard. Carefully, Clint made his way to the tree branch. He studied it for a moment, possessing determination above his age.

Slowly, he reached out and grasped out a few stray twigs, pulling himself onto the branch with whatever strength he could muster. It was easy going from there, he only had to climb down quickly.

And so Clint did just that, his feet gaining purchase as he shimmied down, his hands briefly being scratched on the rough bark, but he didn't care, he'd had worse. Besides, it was worth it if he got to see his Daddy.

His shoes flashed brightly as he jumped to the ground and Clint hurried to find his way home. First though, he stopped at the corner of the sidewalk and slipped off his backpack. He unzipped it and grabbed Ranger, he didn't want to be alone.

Despite the fact that he had no clue where to go Clint was still certain he would be fine. Although it was slightly colder than he thought, but that was only a minor problem.

Instead, Clint clutched Ranger to his chest, absentmindedly chewing on his ear as he started on his path. He was scared, of course he was scared, but he knew he had to be brave. His mamma had told him that once, that when you're scared, the best thing to do was be brave.

It wasn't hard for him to understand _where _he had to go, Stark Tower could be seen from almost anywhere in the city, it was just _how _he was going to get there that really mattered. Clint frowned. It was getting colder.

* * *

Jason woke up as he heard a harsh crack, his eyes blearily blinking open. "Did you hear that?" Monica was shaking him slightly, looking confused. "I heard something Jason, from Clint's room."

That was all he needed to sit up quickly, motioning for her to stay quiet. "I'll be right back." He slowly got out of bed, seeing the sunlight that was slowly starting to filter through the curtains. Another crack alerted him and he slowly picked up the baseball bat that was resting in a corner.

"Jason no!"

"Shh, it'll be fine." He waved Monica off, slowly continuing his way to the child's bedroom. It was only a few feet away, and Jason was prepared as he slowly pushed the door open, the bat raised in position.

But nothing was there. The noise was a stray branch hitting against the roof, echoing throughout the room through the open window. Jason sighed, glad that there was no threat. That's when he realized there was also no child.

"Hey honey… I think we should wait a couple of years to have kids."

* * *

"Get your sorry ass up." Loki scowled at Tony as the genius shoved his shoulder roughly, causing him to nearly spill the drink in his hand.

"What is your problem?" Tony looked apologetic, deeply so, and Loki's senses were immediately heightened. "Stark, what's going on?"

"Listen, I'm sorry. I really am, I just want you to know that I feel terrible about what I have to say…"

"Just tell me what is wrong, it's not Clint is it?" Loki immediately moved to stand up as he caught Tony's moment of hesitation. "What's wrong?" Still no answer. Loki growled and slammed Tony into the wall, pressing an arm against his neck. "If something has happened to my child I will murder you, I swear, tell me what is wrong!" His eyes were wide and frantic, searching Tony's face for any indication of what had happened.

"I… He's missing alright, he's gone missing. I just got the call from Jason and Monica. They woke up this morning and found the window open, Clint wasn't in bed, his room, or anywhere in the house." Tony took a deep breath, well aware of the very angry god in front of him. "They're not sure if he was taken or he ran off, but… We don't know when, it could have been at any time during the night. Which uh… Which means…"

Loki's eyes widened. "You have no damn clue where he is, do you?" His heartbeat sped up as panic set in. "You… They… He's- He's lost?" Tony slowly started to slip away from Loki's grasp, intent on avoiding any kind of altercation. Unfortunately for him, Loki had other ideas.

"Don't you dare move Stark, don't you fucking dare." The god growled lowly, his look switching from fearful to murderous. "The only reason you are alive right now is because I need you to help find my baby, but when-not if-_when _we find him I will drive a knife through your throat for every single scratch I find on him." He continued to glare at the genius, daring him to move.

"Alright, I can see you're upset. I get that, I am too, but why don't we calm down and get this sorted out before things get out of hand." Tony carefully put his hands on Loki's chest, ready to push him away until another growl ripped out of the other's throat. "Okay, bad idea." He lowered his hands, glancing back up at Loki as a glare formed on his own face. "Listen, why don't you drop the genocidal maniac shtick for a second and man the fuck up so we can do something about this. Empty threats aren't going to get us anywhere with Clint. So let me go so I can at least find your damn kid or this _will _end up as an 'if' instead of a 'when'. Because right now he is lost or kidnapped, hurt or in danger, and most of all alone. He needs you to pull it together right now." Tony roughly pushed Loki off of him, matching the angry glare he received.

"And I assume you have a plan?" Loki's voice dripped with venom as he took a few steps back, but in his mind he knew that there was truth to the other's words. They had to focus if they wanted to find Clint. And they were going to.

"Of course I have a plan," Tony snapped back, "I always have a plan." He scowled and beckoned for Loki to follow. "The others have already gathered to find him, we're splitting up. Thor and I are covering the aerial views, you're with Cap, Bruce, and Widow on the ground, or, Cap really; Romanoff is pairing off with Banner. She doesn't like you."

Loki continued along with Tony, sending him a half curious look. "And you know where to start looking?"

"I'm not an idiot, you know that. You know what that kid goes anywhere without that stuffed dog of his. And that backpack, they said it was missing too, trackers on both of 'em."

Loki felt somewhat relieved that they had a way to find Clint, but he was still wondering about something. "If you know where he is, then why would you say he is lost?"

Tony glanced over at him, pausing for a moment. "It's... I had JARVIS locate it, and at first nothing was wrong. But, the thing is, he's not moving."

"What do you mean, 'not moving'?

"Exactly that, the position of the tracker hasn't moved. I kinda figured the kid would be walking around, ya know?"

A million more terrifying possibilities added to the list in Loki's head and he snarled at Tony. "Then what are we still doing here? We have to leave. Now."

"Yeah, that's what we're doing. Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine, probably just taking a nap a bench or something, you know kid stuff. I think."

"Or he's been kidnapped, or hurt, or-"

"Don't even go there, I'm not letting Barton off the hook for this one. Adult him still owes me twenty bucks."

Loki huffed, not even choosing to comment. "Let's just go find him."

"Christ, now I see where the kid gets his impatience from," Tony muttered as he rolled his eyes. He was just as worried as Loki though, because anything, literally anything could've happened to Clint and it was terrifying.

They quickly met up with the others, Tony barely taking anytime to go over the locations before he was suited up and flying off, intent on finding Clint. Thor followed soon after, shooting an apologetic look at Loki.

The rest of the group took separate cars, in order to cover different ground, just in case. Loki didn't want to think that Clint was well and truly lost.

Loki was all nerves as they continued on, his fear mounting. Until Steve quickly pressed a hand to his ear, looking troubled. Loki glanced over, tilting his head as the super soldier listened to something. "I… Are you positive Tony?" It was as if he was trying to hide something in his voice. Unfortunately for Steve, he was easy to read.

Loki picked up the hesitation easily, knowing something was wrong. The fear only grew.

"Well you should… you should…" Steve shot a sideways glance over at Loki, struggling with his words. "Start searching the surrounding areas. I mean, he couldn't have gotten very far, unless…" The Captain winced, obviously being shouted at. "No, no I don't think you're stupid, I'm just-" He sighed, "I- I'm just suggesting- Tony I… Tony! We'll find him, alright? Just look! We'll look! Now… Now I've gotta go, Loki uh- Loki looks like he's about to try and strangle me."

"Oh, much worse if you don't give me some answers."

"Right, sorry." Steve rolled his eyes slightly, most likely the result of Tony still talking into the comm.

"Captain, I would like to know how the search for my son is going," Loki pressed farther, a slight growl in his throat.

"Yeah, yeah." Steve nodded, leaning back in his seat before he ran a nervous hand through his hair. "Well, Tony found the source of the feed. Clint's backpack, and um… Ranger."

"He found him?"

"Not exactly. Clint- Clint wasn't there."

Loki frowned and forced himself to be calm. "What, exactly, do you mean?"

"They found his things, but they didn't find Clint. There's no sign of him around."

"So we still have no idea where my child is?" _He's lost out there. Alone. With nothing and no one. Possibly injured or kidnapped. In danger. _

Loki didn't even know Steve was still talking until the car stopped. "… There, they're over there." The god snapped out of his troubled musings, glancing back at Steve before the car door opened and he caught sight of Tony and Thor already gathered.

His steps were quick and frantic as he approached them, a snarl forming on his lips as he glanced at the others. "I was against this idea, I told you! I told you he would not take this well, I told you he wouldn't be safe!" Loki poked Tony's metal chest, completely brimming with anger.

"Brother-"

"Not now!"

"Loki!" Thor shoved something into Loki's hands and he glanced at him angrily, before glancing at his hands.

"Oh." Ranger was sitting in his grasp, the small stuffed animal soft and… slightly damp in his hands. Loki frowned and ran his thumb over the damp spot on the toy. He flipped it over, glancing at it curiously. His curiosity faded away as he saw a bright red patch on the fur of the animal. "Is… Is that… bl-bloo…" Loki didn't finish the sentence before he turned and glanced away, words stuck in his throat.

Images were blurring together, spinning as he tried to make sense of what he had seen. _Blood. Bright red blood. Clint's blood? Please no, no, no. Don't let it be his. Not his, not his, NOT HIS._

Red flashed in his vision and Loki let out a strangled cry, startling a few of the others. "Find him, find him now!" He stamped his foot angrily, the action lacking a petulant feel due to the pure rage on his face. "Find my child or so help me, I will rip every single one of you to shreds and watch as _your _blood seeps into the soil."

Thor stepped forward, placing a hand on Loki's shoulder. "I am aware that this is troubling, but perhaps we should leave the death threats for another time. It will not help in our search for Clint."

"I told him pretty much the same thing, but does he bother to listen to me? _Nooo_."

"Stark, shut up." Natasha and Bruce joined the group, both looking grim.

Loki shrugged Thor's hand off of his shoulder, still glaring at anyone who dared to look at him. "Why are we still here? I said to find him and I expect results."

"And what're you gonna do here? Just sit on your ass all day? Don't forget, you're the reason we're in this mess."

"Tony…"

"No _Captain_, it's his own damn fault! Yeah Barton's an adorable ball of energetic devil child, but it's Loki's fault for making him that way. Besides Miracle Man shouldn't he be normal by now? You know, like you said." Tony lifted his faceplate up, raising an eyebrow as he returned Loki's glare.

That caused the god to hesitate for the moment, his anger momentarily flashing to unease. "I… May have been wrong."

"_May_ have been wrong?" Natasha wasn't happy that the fate of her best friend was now in the hands of the maniac who had been planning to kill both of them.

"Yes," Loki snapped.

"What exactly do you mean? When are we getting our teammate back?" Steve asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm-I'm not sure exactly," Loki admitted quietly, "There were… complications."

"Complications?" Bruce glanced up, joining the conversation.

Loki growled. "Yes, I _lied. _I don't know when he will return to… 'Normal Barton,' so to speak, at least, not until my power has been restored."

"So why would you say that it was only a couple of months?! What is the point in that?" Iron Man stalked forward, eyes narrowed.

"Fine, if you want the _truth_, I merely wanted to get Clinton to bed and that Director of yours seemed as if he wasn't going to let us go until he had some answers."

"So you lied just so you could tuck him into bed?"

"Yes, Stark, I thought you were smart. I was only trying to hurry our departure."

The tension increased tenfold, all eyes falling on Loki, who merely snapped at the others. "We can discuss this later; right now it would be best if we focused on finding my child, who might I add, could be hurt!" He held up the stuffed animal for emphasis, a snarl still on his face.

The others all hesitated, before nodding in agreement. "Right, Clint, we'll find him. Thor, you and Iron Man take to the skies. The rest of us will start with a three mile radius, if he did run away he couldn't have gotten that far from here. Especially if he was… injured." Steve swallowed thickly for a moment before continuing on. "Widow, you and Bruce start heading out to the East, Loki… You're uh… You're with me, we'll be taking the West side."

"Story?"

"What?"

"Forget it Cap, Tony stop being an idiot."

"Thanks Natasha, anyway, as I was saying, we'll split up. Most importantly though, keep it quiet. If no one's gotten to him yet than it would be best not to bring attention that he's alone and defenseless."

"Great, now that that's settled I'll be off. JARVIS; every security camera, traffic cam, whatever, look for any sign of Clint out there."

_As you wish, Sir._

Tony took off, Thor following suit. Steve beckoned for Loki to follow as Natasha and Bruce started their own search.

Honestly, Steve had no clue where to start. They were in New York City, trying to find a young, tiny child. The odds couldn't have been worse. And the fact that he could be kidnapped, or hurt, or God knows what else. The super soldier stole a look at Loki, who was looking as calm as ever at first glance. But once he looked closer Steve could see the fear on his face, the shaking in his hands, his eyes darting around as if he had to look in every single corner of the world.

And they would, they would look all over the damn universe if it meant finding Clint.

* * *

Clint hadn't meant to lose his backpack, and he certainly hadn't meant to lose Ranger. If he wasn't so scared he would have been more worried about the loss of his favorite toy.

His journey had started out fairly well, the wind had picked up a little though, but Clint didn't mind at first.

He'd been a little tired too, but that wasn't anything new.

All Clint could focus on was finding his Daddy, because that's when he knew he could be completely safe.

He hummed softly to himself, it was a song he didn't know, but one Daddy would sing quietly on some nights. Half the time Clint was just barely awake enough to hear him, but when he could, Clint would always snuggle just a little closer to the god, a small smile on his face as he fell asleep.

Clint really, _really_ missed his Daddy.

He'd gone to a small store at one point, quiet footsteps echoing in the almost empty store.

If the night clerk was wondering why a small child, alone, was buying a juice box and a candy bar with a fifty dollar bill he didn't comment.

After that detour Clint had continued on, staying close to the edge of the sidewalk. The dark alleys scared him. Not that he would ever admit it.

If Clint had been older, wiser, smarter, he would have realized what a complete miracle it was that he was relatively okay. The closest he came to danger was when he tripped and almost fell out into the street, in front of a car. Luckily he had caught himself, at the expense of scraped hands of course.

Finally, the light of the sun started peeking out among the buildings. Clint could still see Stark Tower clearly, and it frustrated him that he couldn't find his way there.

He was sluggish now, tired, hungry and thirsty, and most of all, cold. He was shivering, sure that he should have grabbed his jacket.

It was lighter now, but Clint just wanted to sleep. He was coughing a lot and his head was starting to hurt.

It was the small park he found that made Clint gasp in relief. He could see a bench; he would be able to maybe take a small nap for a while. The four year old waited patiently to cross the street, scurrying across when the time was right. He blearily rubbed his eyes as he made his way to the bench, his mind only focused on a child's thought.

That was when a man stepped in front of him, causing Clint to blink up in confusion. This man was scary, he was smiling, but it wasn't a very happy smile. His teeth were old and yellow, hair ratty and long. His clothes were old and tattered and Clint immediately started to scurry backwards. "None of that." The man reached out just as Clint ducked away. He caught the backpack strap, roughly pulling it off of Clint's left shoulder.

The boy let out a yelp and fell onto his butt, kicking out as he was pulled back. On instinct he cried out for his Daddy, voice shrill and loud.

A grimy hand was clasped over his mouth and Clint's tears started fully. _No, no, Daddy! He had to find Daddy!_

He was forced away farther, into dark shadows and nearing bushes. But Clint wasn't going down without a fight. He'd always known how to fight, and he'd promised Daddy he would be strong.

So here he was, being strong.

With a muffled sob Clint bucked back sharply, his head connecting with the man's stomach as he was being lifted into the air. Instantly he was dropped, head slamming into the ground as he fell unprepared. A loud crack sounded, making him feel very dizzy and a lot more tired. But the man was growling now, reaching out again. The dazed child felt another arm wrap around his waist, pulling him into the shadows again. _No._

His face contorted with anger and fear, and he kicked out again, this time his tiny foot connecting with soft flesh. Again, he was dropped, his backpack falling off and Ranger breaking his fall. Clint heard shouting. "Step away from the child, get on your knees and put your hands behind your head!"

His head was spinning and Clint just wanted to close his eyes and sleep, but footsteps were coming towards him and more fear ignited. He opened his eyes and glanced up just in time to see two police officers run up to them.

One of them approached the man, quickly moving to snap a pair of handcuffs on him while the other crouched down in front of Clint. "Hey there buddy, don't be scared, I'm here to help you. Can you tell me how you feel? If you're hurt anywhere else?"

Clint just sat there, blinking and shivering. Before, at his old home, he'd been taught that police men were mean and wanted to hurt you, just like doctors. But Steve had told him that if he was ever lost and in trouble police men were the first people he should look for, and Daddy had assured him he could trust Steve. Just as he was about to say something he was attacked by a coughing fit.

"He okay Jimmy?" Officer Smith glanced over at his partner, seeing the kid in bad shape.

"Head wound, sick; we should get this kid to a hospital." Jimmy Pimento moved to pick up the squirming child, too focused on the condition he was in to grab the backpack and stuffed animal that had been discarded.

"I'll call in backup and wait here with this guy, you take the boy."

"Thanks." Officer Pimento nodded gratefully and started to walk off, absently rubbing the boy's back as he made his way to the cruiser. "Oh, and Luke, before you file a report check the missing person's database for a kid matching his description."

"'Course I get all the work."

"Stop whining!" He called over his shoulder before turning his attention back to the sickly child who had finally stopped coughing. "Hey kid, you okay?"

Clint squirmed and tried to hold back his tears. But it was hard because everything hurt, especially his head and it was getting harder to breathe, he was freezing cold and shivering even more. Plus he was still scared. "Daddy."

"Did you get lost? Is your dad nearby?"

Clint could only shake his head, but that made his dizziness increase more and suddenly he was very sleepy. "Tell you what, we'll take you to the hospital and get you fixed up while my partner finds your Daddy. Does that sound alright?" The four year old didn't have enough energy to protest as he was set in the back of a police cruiser, buckled in, and covered with the cop's jacket.

Jimmy frowned in worry and quickly got into the front seat. The boy wasn't looking so good and he wasn't going to take any chances. He flicked on the sirens and set off for the hospital. "Hang in there buddy, we'll be there soon."

* * *

"Wait, wait, hang on."

Loki snarled as Steve grabbed his arm and stopped walking. Didn't he understand that they couldn't waste any time in finding Clint?

Steve didn't show any sign that he noticed Loki's distress and instead focused intently on whatever he was hearing through his communicator. "You sure?" He waited a moment, "We'll be there as soon as we can." He wasn't even done speaking when he swiftly started to walk away, motioning for Loki to follow.

"What is going on? We're supposed to be looking for my son!"

"According to Tony JARVIS picked up a report filed by the NYPD. A boy matching Clint's description was taken to the hospital a couple of hours ago. He was picked up from the spot we found his stuff in. He's almost positive it's our Clint."

"My Clint," Loki corrected, before the situation fully set in. "They found him? Is he injured, sick?"

"We don't know if it's him for sure. Stark is heading there now; we're heading back to the car so we can go there and identify him."

Loki was sure it was Clint, it had to be. His baby was going to be okay now.

* * *

"No, no, you don't understand, he was brought in by an Officer Pimento. He's just above two feet tall, blue eyes, blonde hair. Name's Clint."

"Sir I'm sorry, but I can't give you this information unless you're an immediate family member." The receptionist wasn't deterred by the glare she was receiving from Tony Stark. He wondered if he could put the suit back on and maybe wipe that bored look off of her face.

"But I am! He's my kid, and he's scared and alone and he really doesn't like doctors so if you could just let me see him that would be great."

"Do you have any proof that the kid's yours?"

"_The kid's_ name is Clint. He's four years old, and one of his front teeth is chipped from a very unfortunate accident in which he ran into a wall. His hair is bright blonde, completely curly, and never stays in place. He's small and feisty, probably more so now that he's been taken to a hospital, he really doesn't like doctors. Sometimes he looks at you with those wide, trusting eyes that make you want to reevaluate your whole goddamn life because here's this innocent little thing that's completely fine with putting his life your hands because hey, he's just a kid, blissfully ignorant. And _his_ hands, his _hands,_ for some reason are always covered in tiny little scrapes because he's always tripping over those impossibly tiny feet. His name is Clint and I'm entitled to see him, so _tell me where he is_.

The woman stared at him for a moment before typing into her computer for a second.

"Kid brought in by Officer Pimento, pediatrics ward, room 202."

Tony almost sighed in relief. "Thanks for the help," he muttered, hardly meaning it.

He almost ran to the room, anxiety building with every step. Clint was safe now, he had to be, but was he okay?

The genius skidded to a stop outside Clint's door, barely taking a moment to compose himself before he made his way in, eyes instantly connecting with the small form in the bed. For a second he stood in shock. Clint had been gone for barely even a _day _and he already looked like hell. He was pale, almost ghost white. His chest was rising up and down in a stuttering pattern, an oxygen mask strapped to his face and the only thing that could take his attention away was the dark contrast of stiches right above the boy's eyebrow. There was an IV stuck in his hand, and his other hand was weakly grasping at the bed sheets. "Fuck kid, you get yourself in the damndest situations."

"Excuse me sir?"

Tony's gaze drifted to the police officer standing in the corner, looking slightly surprised by his presence. "You bring him in?" The cop nodded. "Well then I owe you a thank you then. You stay here the whole time?" He moved forward and immediately took the chair next to Clint, his hand slipping into the one curled up in the sheets. Clint instinctively grasped Tony's fingers.

"Yes sir, I didn't want him to be alone. My partner was looking for his dad, he kept asking for him… If you don't mind me asking Mr. Stark… are you his father?" Jimmy shuffled nervously, unsure of what to do.

"No… No, not really. His dad's on his way here now, but he'll be fine with me."

Jimmy swallowed, taking a deep breath. "I'm afraid I can't leave you alone with him sir. Not until I have proof that you're a primary guardian."

Tony raised an eyebrow and glanced back over at him. "You won't leave him in the hands of _Iron Man_?"

"No, it's protocol sir, I'm just doing my job. I can't leave the child until I've been assured that he is in capable hands."

Tony let out a sigh, rubbing his face with his free hand. "I… Thank you officer, I can see that he's been taken care of. I'll have someone bring in the papers alright? You'll be free to go once I can get this sorted out."

Jimmy nodded and went back to leaning against the wall. It was silent for a while, Tony sending a quick text to Pepper, asking her to get the papers in order, and sending the location of Clint's room to Steve and Bruce. "What happened to him?" Tony finally asked, eyes still trained on Clint.

"I-I'm not exactly sure. My partner and I were doing are usual morning rounds when we heard a kid shouting. When we got to the scene there was a man tryin' to drag this kid away. My partner, Luke, took out the threat and I took care of the kid."

"Clint."

"What?"

"His name is Clint."

"Oh. Yeah I never got his name. I kept askin' him simple questions like that. Name, where he lived, if he was hurt anywhere else, but he wouldn't answer. Just kept crying and coughing… Would only ask for his daddy. Until…" Jimmy trailed off, not sure that he should continue.

"Until what?" Tony urged.

"Until he passed out in the back of the squad car. We were halfway to the hospital by then, and I kinda started freaking out. It's funny you know, they train you for all this crap, but somethin' as simple as a kid passing out in the backseat still manages to scare you half to death."

"Yeah," Tony muttered, "he tends to have that effect on people."

"So I take it stuff like this happens a lot?" Jimmy cocked his head in interest, wondering just how much trouble this boy was able to get in.

"Oh yeah, little trouble magnet right here. But he's worth it."

Jimmy smiled slightly and glanced up as the Clint's doctor walked into the room, slightly startled at the sight of Tony in the room. "Are you-"

"He's Clint's guardian ma'am," Jimmy cut in, "it's alright for him to be in here."

The doctor raised an eyebrow before nodding and moving to check over Clint's vitals. "Can you tell me what exactly is wrong with him doc?" Tony spoke up quietly, his thumb brushing over the back of Clint's hands.

The doctor hesitated, as if trying to determine if she should tell Tony information like that. After getting a nod of confirmation from the officer in the corner she finally consented. "He's developed a case of pneumonia, most likely the result of a quick growing flu strain due to prolonged exposure in the cold. He wasn't even wearing a jacket when he was brought in."

Tony couldn't help but let his lips quirk up, just like Clint, ignoring whatever rules had been set in place.

"His lungs were blocked by fluid, a result of the pneumonia, so he's been put on oxygen. Once some of it clears up we'll be able to switch from the mask to a nasal cannula. And right here, he's been given eleven stitches, they'll need to be taken out after a couple of weeks." She indicated to the cut on his forehead, and it occurred to Tony that was probably where the blood on the stuffed animal came from.

"But he'll be alright?"

The doctor gave him a small smile. "After a while, yes, he'll be fine."

"Right. Thank you doctor…"

"Jones," The doctor supplied before leaning over to adjust Clint's IV. She stayed for only a couple more minutes, leaving Tony alone with Clint as Officer Pimento left to use the bathroom.

The billionaire sighed wearily as he took another look at Clint, the boy's face scrunched up underneath the oxygen mask. "I'm sorry kiddo, I really am." He spoke quietly, not wanting to actually wake him up. "I was just trying to do what was right, that's all, I only wanted to keep you safe." He felt terrible, guilty even. Clint would be perfectly fine if they hadn't jumped head first into shipping him off. "I hope you'll be able to forgive me here darling."

He wasn't expecting a response, but Clint stirred on the bed, obviously agitated. Tony perked up, moving in closer and squeezing his hand ever so slightly. "Clint, it's okay, I'm right here."

Clint whined, the sound muffled by the oxygen mask, but his fingers flexed around Tony's. The child fussed slightly before sluggishly blinking his eyes open.

"Hey, hey there buddy. You're okay now, your daddy's on his way here." Clint barely registered Tony's words, but his head turned to the sound of the voice. Recognition flashed in his cloudy eyes as he caught sight of Tony. Another small whine left his throat, and his fingers moved in Tony's. "You're okay now bud, I'm right here."

Clint's eyes closed again, but not before he reached out with his other hand, grasping Tony's with both of his and pulling it to his chest. He hung on with whatever little energy he had. Tony smiled fondly and figured he was forgiven.

It was only five minutes later that Tony heard distinct footsteps coming down the hallway, and he sat up slightly. "Here comes your daddy kiddo, get ready for a whole new storm."

Jimmy, who was lounging in the corner, glanced up in interest.

"Where is he? Is my child okay? I want to see him, I want to-" Loki stopped short in the doorway, much like Tony had. "Oh _Clint._" He moved forward swiftly, reaching out for Clint before he pulled his hands back, unsure of how to proceed. He didn't want to hurt him or mess with the many machines and wires he was hooked up to.

"He's hurt, just right there, and sick." Tony used his free hand to indicate Clint's forehead as he started to explain, catching the worried look on Loki's face.

"I… I don't-" _Know what to do, know how to help him…_ The list went on, and all Loki really wanted to do was pick him up and hold him close, never letting go.

"He'll be fine. It'll take a while, but he'll be fine."

Steve, who had been right on Loki's heels, slowly slipped into the room. He gave the officer in the corner a confused look, but didn't pay much mind to it before he focused his attention on Clint. "Sick with what?"

"Pneumonia."

Steve winced in sympathy, glancing sadly at the boy. He knew what it was like to be laid up in bed, too sick to move. But Clint wasn't meant for that, he was full of life, glowing with energy practically.

Loki could only stare down at Clint, unsure of what to do. He felt like crying at the sight of his baby in such a terrible state. Eventually he reached out with a tentative hand, gently carding his fingers through Clint's unruly hair. "I'm so sorry," he murmured.

The others were silent, respectfully so, until Tony glanced at his phone. "Here," he stood up and carefully pulled his hand out of Clint's leaving the four year old grasping at air. "Pepper's here with some much needed papers, and Bruce and Natasha are almost here, they've just got to pick up Thor on the way. Officer, if you would be so kind as to follow me, I'll show you that proof now."

Loki didn't even bother to listen to the rest, he was too focused on the child in the bed. He quickly sat down in the vacant chair, taking Clint's tiny hands in one of his own. "I'm here now sweetheart, you'll be okay." He leaned over and gave his warm forehead kiss, just above his wound. "You'll be okay. I promise."

Steve glanced away in unease, feeling as if he didn't quite belong. "I'll go wait for the others," he murmured, stepping outside quickly.

Loki merely nodded in response, taking in every inch of the child's small form. He was hurt and sick and most likely still terrified. He was still unnaturally warm and shivering just slightly underneath the blankets. Loki sighed, bringing Clint's hand up to kiss his knuckles. He ran his thumb against Clint's palm, turning it over in his hand.

For some reason the sight of his scraped up skin made Loki chuckle just slightly. Of course, despite it all, Clint would manage to do what he did on a daily basis.

And now, here Clint was, in all this trouble simply because he was taken away only for a few hours.

But this was it, Loki wasn't letting it happen again. Clint was staying with him, no matter what. Even if they tried to rip the child from his hands he wouldn't let anyone take him. Clint was his to protect and love and hold and care for and so much more and he wasn't going to let go of the child, not for anything.

He barely glanced up as footsteps echoed into the room. "He'll be alright, just like I said." Tony stood at the foot of Clint's bed, watching him with interest.

Loki only hummed in response, pressing another soft kiss to the back of Clint's hand. "Where are the others?"

"Steve's waiting for the rest, and Pepper's taking care of the paperwork." Tony sighed quietly, hands gripping the railings before he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, you know. It was a mistake to let him off on his own."

"It was," Loki agreed, bitterness in his voice. "And it won't happen again, will it?" There was a warning undertone, though Loki didn't bother turning his head to glance up at the other.

"No, it won't. We'll figure it out, we'll keep him with you."

Loki smiled despite himself, because that was all he needed to hear. "With me."

"With you."

It was silent then, both men focused on the child in the bed. Their attention amplified as said child started stirring, both hands tightening their hold on Loki's. "Oh, there he goes again. He did this earlier too, the sedative must be wearing off." Tony moved to stand behind Loki, peering down at Clint.

"Clint, can you hear me?" Loki leaned forward, brushing his fingers over Clint's knuckles.

The four year old kicked his feet with little strength, arms instinctively reaching out for the voice he heard as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

"It's okay little one, it's me. Daddy's here now, and I'm not leaving." Loki reached up with trembling fingers, pushing away some of the hair that had stuck to Clint's warm forehead.

Clint moaned slightly, a cough ripping through his throat. Quickly, Tony moved forward and placed a hand under Clint's back, easing him up. Loki helped, holding Clint up as Tony called for a nurse.

"What's… What's wrong with him?" Loki asked hesitantly as Clint finally stopped his coughing.

"It's just pneumonia. It'll probably keep him off his feet for a while, but he'll be fine after a couple of weeks." Tony leaned forward again, helping Loki ease Clint back down.

A nurse hurried in after that, glancing at the two men with a questioning look. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah he uh, he just had a coughing attack. I think he's having a little trouble breathing." Tony glanced up briefly, before turning his attention back to the boy.

"Well that's expected in pneumonia patients, they do tend to cough a lot."

"Apparently they also teach sass in nursing school," The genius muttered under his breath, causing Loki to smirk slightly. "Listen, if there's anything you can do-"

"Sir, I can assure you, we're doing all we can. Coughing is expected in pneumonia patients, and so far we're treating him as best as we can." The nurse gave him a stern look.

Tony rolled his eyes before he turned back to the nurse. "Well maybe you could be doing a little better."

Loki tuned out the small exchange of words, instead focusing on the slightly fretting child. Clint was moving minutely, stuttering breath escaping from his mouth. Loki smiled just a little bit, giving Clint's hand an encouraging squeeze.

"Sir, there's really nothing to get worked up about, he's in good care here."

"I'll get as worked up as I like, in fact, I might just be inclined to sue this whole damn hospital for not doing their job and taking care of my kid."

"Stark, calm down," Loki murmured, still focused on Clint, "nothing good will come of threatening innocent hospital staff."

Tony scoffed. "That's rich, coming from you of all people."

Loki rolled his eyes, before smiling even wider as he saw Clint's eyes blink open. "Welcome back little one." He kept Clint's hands in his own, mindful of the IV. "You're okay now, I'm right here."

The nurse tried to speak up, but Tony shushed her before he moved forward, placing a hand on Loki's shoulder as he leaned in and caught Clint's eye. "Hey buddy, told you your daddy was right on his way."

Clint whined, obviously in discomfort. He tried to get up and crawl to Loki and Tony, but was immediately pushed back. "Careful now, you're in bad shape Clint. It's best if you stay there, we wouldn't want you to get hurt with all these wires and such." Loki carefully helped Clint back, catching the pout behind the mask. "I know, I would love nothing more than to hold you right now, but I can't. Not yet anyway."

"It's scary how you know exactly what he wants." The genius moved closer, taking the hand that Clint had been using to reach out for Loki and Tony.

The god only chuckled and glanced up at Tony for a moment. "It's simple parenting. I know exactly what my baby wants."

"Mmhm, I would be more worried if he wasn't so adorable."

Clint was watching the two with heavy eyes, and he barely glanced over as the nurse moved to check his oxygen supply. He tried to speak and ask for Daddy to hold him, but the words were heavy in his itchy throat. His weak grip tightened on the other's hands as he felt another heavy pressure on his chest.

Loki caught onto his change in mood almost immediately and moved to prop Clint up just as the coughing started. "You're alright, you're going to be okay," he murmured, rubbing Clint's back encouragingly.

Tony joined him, softly running his fingers through Clint's hair. "We've got you kid."

Even the nurse looked slightly apologetic as she watched the boy. "I'll have an orderly get him some water," she said softly before she left.

Neither bothered to acknowledge her presence, too focused on the sick boy. "You'll be better soon little one, we'll make sure of it." Loki would make sure of it at least; he wouldn't let his child suffer like this.

Clint could only sit there, coughing what seemed to be endlessly until it finally subsided and he turned big, watery blue eyes towards the two others in the room.

"Aw, it's okay Clint, you'll feel better soon." Tony crouched down next to Clint and Loki, still running a soothing hand through the boy's hair.

Clint huffed petulantly, sending Tony a tired glare before he slipped his hands out of the other's and moved to rub his eyes.

"No no, be careful." Loki reached out to pull Clint's hand away from his face. "You've been hurt, just above your eye; we don't want you accidentally making it worse."

Clint pouted and glared.

"I love you little one." Loki took his hand and kissed his fingertips, smiling down at Clint fondly.

If he could Clint would've answered with 'I love you too Daddy.'

"I know you do," The god murmured.

Tony watched the exchange with confusion. "I said it before and I'll say it again… Scary."

"I think you're just a bit jealous." Loki grinned and put his free hand on Clint's back as the boy tried to lay back down. "Stay awake for just a little bit longer for me sweetheart, they're going to bring you some water, and I'm sure you need it… No, no, don't give me that look. You're with me again Clint, you listen to me alright? Yes, I know you're unhappy but this is for your own good. Stop being so dramatic you poor little thing, you've gotten your way, I'm right here and I'm not leaving. I love you, and I need you to calm down and do as I say."

"He was just sitting there! How are you able to do that?"

"Hush, you're scaring him."

"Oh yeah, he looks _terrified_!" Tony rolled his eyes as he glanced back at Clint who was looking quite miffed as he realized he couldn't chew on his sleeve due to the oxygen mask.

Loki leaned in to place a soft kiss to the top of Clint's head. "I can assure you he is." He glanced up as an orderly entered the room with a cup of water.

"The oxygen can't come off for more than two minutes," he warned, before setting the cup on the bedside table. "And the nurse has advised that he drinks at least half of it."

"Thank you," Loki murmured as he walked out and Tony picked up the cup.

"Here you go little guy." Tony handed the cup to Loki before reaching forward to lift off the oxygen mask. Both men held their breath as Clint's stuttered for a moment, but he quickly regulated his breathing.

Loki smiled in relief and offered Clint the water, rolling his eyes as the boy turned his head away. "Clint, drink the water. You need it."

Clint still resisted, convinced it would only make everything worse.

"Well look at that, he's still just as much of a brat."

"Don't say that about my child," Loki huffed, "He's merely strong willed. Isn't that right sweetheart?"

Clint was busy chewing on his sleeve.

"Clint, you need to drink at least a little bit, do you understand?" Loki tried to hide his smile as the four year old just stared at the two of them.

After a while of coaxing they finally got him to take a few sips before they had to ease the oxygen mask back on.

Loki allowed Clint to lay back down and get some more rest, but the boy was adamant about staying awake for some reason. For once, he couldn't understand what the child wanted. Clint was closed off, scared and nervous. "You'll be okay, I told you we're going to make it better."

But that still wasn't helping, Clint just tugged on his hand with a fearful look on his face. "I don't understand sweetheart, you were okay a few moments ago. Why don't you want to go to sleep?"

Clint just blinked and tugged on his hand.

Tony smirked slightly and leaned forward to give Clint a quick kiss on the forehead. "Don't worry kid, we'll both be here when you wake up." The boy perked up slightly, and Loki understood.

"Oh I wouldn't leave you little one, not now and not ever. Never again, do you understand me? I'm not going to let anyone take you from me. I love you." Clint curled up as best as he could, his tiny hands still warm in Loki's.

"He's right you know. You're going to have to go away for a little while again, it's still too dangerous for you, but your daddy's going to be with you now. And we'll be able to check up on you every now and then until… Until we um, find a way to take care of a certain situation. How does that sound?"

Clint could only smile at the fact that he was going to be able to stay with his Daddy. And he knew Loki was matching the smile. With another quiet murmur of 'I love you' Loki was able to fix the blankets around the boy and press another soft kiss to his curls.

As the boy fell into a fretful sleep Loki and Tony could only watch. "This is going to be tough you know, he's going to be fussing and fighting almost every day while he's sick. Even more of a terror than usual."

Loki glanced over at Tony, a small smile on his lips. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's not?"

"No, I've got my baby now, even if I have to put up with fits and illness and whatever else he can get himself into it's worth it." He glanced back at the small, sleeping form of a child.

Tony followed suit, and managed a small smile himself. "Yeah, I guess it is." He was silent for only one more moment. "I better get this plan started then; you and your baby are going to need a place to stay."

Loki was barely listening, and instead focused on the boy in front of him. "Just as long as he's with me he'll be fine."

_**So there it is! Happy ending? We'll just have to wait and see…**_

_**If you could be so kind as to just leave at least a quick review I would greatly appreciate it!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**So I guess this is more of a filler chapter but I really do like it and I hope you like it as well. And by the way, Christmas chapter(s)? will be included, and there's going to be loads of fluff and family feels with ALL of the Avengers and it's going to be awesome. **_

_**And um, SLIGHT spoilers for Finding Nemo here, but I'm sure it won't be too upsetting.**_

_**Thanks so much for all of the support you guys, it means a lot whenever I see a new review or alert.**_

"Papa!" Clint smiled as Tony walked into his room, ignoring the spoon of applesauce Loki was trying to coax him into eating.

Tony matched Clint's smile and glanced over at Loki, who was still crouching next to Clint's bed with a frustrated look on his face. "How's it going with the kid?" he asked, handing Clint a sippy cup full of warm milk.

Clint took it happily and Loki sighed, slowly standing up. "He won't eat. I keep trying to get him to eat something and he says he's not hungry." He ran a hand over his face, settling his gaze on Clint, who was tentatively sipping at his milk. "What if he gets worse? You mortals are so… _mortal; _I fear he wouldn't be able to handle it."

Tony rolled his eyes and reached out to ruffle Clint's hair. "The doctor said he would be fine. We just have to keep him hydrated and rested, hell, Steve even told us that, and he knows what he's talking about."

Loki frowned and sat down next to Clint on the bed, not able to hold back a small smile as the toddler promptly toppled onto his side and curled around the sippy cup in his hands. "I heard what they said, I'm just worried. I want my baby to be okay. He's too small and too vulnerable and I don't want anything else to happen to him."

"Just let it go, he's fine. Contrary to what you think human beings aren't going to die every time they break a bone or get a cold. Clint's a tough kid, he'll be alright."

Loki frowned at Tony, but his attention was quickly diverted as Clint started coughing and wriggling on the bed, limbs flailing restlessly. He quickly grabbed the four year old and helped him sit up, rubbing his back comfortingly. "You're okay sweetheart, you're okay." He glanced back at Tony, raising an eyebrow as he saw that the genius was laughing slightly. "_What_ is so funny?"

"He looks like a turtle when he can't sit up. Like a tiny, baby turtle." Tony grinned and moved to crouch down next to the bed, reaching out to pull Clint from Loki's grasp and sit the boy in front of him while he slowly stopped coughing. "That right Clint? You're a little turtle."

"Turtle!" Clint grinned and clapped as he wobbled unsteadily on the bed, falling back and kicking his legs into the air.

"My son is not a turtle." Loki huffed, pulling Clint into his lap as the last of his coughing died down.

Clint giggled and squirmed, rolling off of Loki's lap and curling onto his side on the bed. "Turtle, I sleepy turtle Daddy."

Loki sighed and grabbed Clint, placing him at the head of the bed so he could tuck him under the blankets.

"At least he's not acting like a dog, you'd think his fascination with puppies would have him barking and chewing everything in sight." Tony smirked and stood up, leaning in to give Clint a kiss on the forehead.

"I puppy?"

"No you are not." Loki shot Tony a glare as the four year old already started chewing on Ranger's ear (they'd had the dog's fur cleaned after the unfortunate incident of course). "He already chews on everything anyway, so it's not like I would even know the difference." He moved to pull the stuffed animal out of Clint's mouth, but stopped short as Clint growled at him. Or tried to. Tony figured it sounded more like when Simba tried to roar for the first time in The Lion King.

The billionaire laughed outright, making Loki's glare strengthen as he looked at the other. "I hate you Stark, I really do." He turned back to Clint, rolling his eyes as the small boy nipped at his fingers. "Clint, you are not a puppy."

"I puppy Daddy."

"Puppies don't talk, and they certainly don't sleep on the furniture. So if you want to stay silent and sleep on the floor then you are welcome to little one."

Clint blinked up at Loki before rolling onto his side and snuggling his face into Loki's knee. "I baby."

After a moment Loki sighed and smiled down at Clint. "Yes you are, my little baby." He gathered the child into his arms and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. "Now if you don't mind it's time for Clint to take a nap." Loki picked his head up to give Tony a pointed glare, a soft hand still rubbing Clint's back.

"Alright, alright, I'm going."

"Papa wait," Clint scrambled out of Loki's lap, reaching up for Tony. "Hug and kiss?"

Tony grinned and picked Clint up, squeezing him tightly. "Sleep well kiddo." He pressed a quick kiss to the boy's forehead, before placing him back in Loki's waiting arms. "I'll be downstairs," he muttered before leaving.

Loki smiled as he glanced down and found Clint yawning tiredly in his lap. "I love you little one."

Clint's head bobbed and he snuggled into Loki's chest. "Love you too Daddy. Sleep?"

"Sleep is a very good idea, you need your rest if you're going to be up and about again." Loki gently kissed Clint's cheek before placing him on the bed. "I'm sure you'll be causing havoc soon enough."

Clint giggled softly, reaching up to grasp Loki's sleeve. "Stay?"

"Of course, I'm not leaving you." Loki sat down next to Clint, leaning back against the headboard as he tucked the four year old in. In truth he wasn't willing to leave the boy yet. He had refused to leave Clint for more than a minute while in the hospital, and even though they had moved been moved to a safe house now (Tony's doing of course) he still wasn't willing to leave his child for too long. Even despite the fact that there was regularly at least one Avenger staying with them just in case something happened Loki still was wary about not being there in case someone tried to take Clint again.

He was snapped out of his musings as Clint mumbled something, Loki's name included, and tangled himself up in the blankets. Loki smiled softly, brushing a hand through the unruly mess of Clint's hair.

Clint coughed lightly in his sleep, causing Loki's heart to skip a beat for a moment until the boy's breathing evened out. The god let out a sigh of relief, satisfied that his son was still okay.

He watched as Clint curled up and shivered under the covers, a frown on his face. Carefully, Loki pried himself away from the small child. "I'll be right back," he murmured to the boy, hoping he would stay asleep.

Loki slipped out of the room quietly, his footsteps quick as he made his way down the stairs. "Stark," he called out softly, "I need some help."

"Shit, you didn't lose him did you?" Tony appeared, tossing a stack of files onto a nearby desk. "It's been five minutes and all he wanted was to take a nap."

"No," Loki bit back a sharp reply in favor of getting back to Clint faster, "He's shivering. I need another blanket."

"Oh, well in that case there's some on the top shelf of the closet up there. Just... be careful, I don't want his fever growing." Loki nodded and turned to go back up the stairs. Tony frowned and hesitated for a moment before speaking up again. "I'm serious. Even though he's back with us he's still… vulnerable. Look out for him."

"I wouldn't think of doing anything else."

Tony watched him warily, and Loki knew that the other was trying to tell if he was lying or not. Anger ignited within him. After all of this, after everything that happened most people still refused to believe that he had Clint's best interests in mind. Although they had a good reason to distrust him Loki didn't understand how they didn't realize that all he wanted was for Clint to be okay. It was obvious that that was what he deserved.

His thoughts were dispelled as he found the closet Tony was talking about, and quickly grabbed another blanket. The door creaked slightly as he pushed it open again and Loki hesitated, making sure the small form on the bed was still asleep.

Clint slept on, like always, and Loki managed a small smile. He tucked the blanket around the child, watching as he curled into the new source of warmth. A small mumble slipped out of his mouth, unmistakably 'Daddy' and Loki didn't hesitate to take the small bundle of blankets into his arms. "I love you," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to Clint's forehead. "And I'll keep you safe Clint, I promise. I always will. Even after… Even after I've lost you, you'll always be my baby. I-I'm sorry for everything I've done to you and I _will_ try to make it right, starting with this, I'll take care of you." And Loki meant every word he said. After almost destroying the man's life and trying to enslave his planet Loki figured it was the least he could do. Besides, it's not like he could hurt Clint anymore. He was determined to give him a better childhood in the short time they had together than the boy originally had. From what he had gathered so far it was already happening, despite the rocky parts of Clint's new childhood his baby was still infinitely happy, and that was all that mattered.

Loki smiled as a tiny hand formed a fist in his shirt, Clint's face set in content as he grasped at the one thing he knew could keep him safe for the first time in his life.

The boy slept for no longer than an hour and a half, perfectly nestled in Loki's arms the whole time. Loki had been slowly drifting off himself, the toll of taking care of a sick child slowly catching up to even a god.

"Daddy." A quiet voice and a tug on his shirt snapped Loki out of his daze, and he glanced down in time to see Clint shift in his hold and let out a tiny yawn.

"Mm, hello little one. Did you have a nice nap?" He gently pulled Clint into a sitting position and smiled down at his child.

Clint nodded and grabbed his shirt in both of his small fists. "You stayed."

"I'll always stay, someone has to keep my baby safe."

That pulled a sleepy grin out of the boy and he immediately moved to snuggle into Loki. "You're the best Daddy ever."

"And you're the best little boy ever." Loki couldn't help but return the sentiment as he stood up, shifting Clint in his arms. The four year old let out a happy hum, wrapping his arms around Loki's neck as he cuddled closer. Loki decided to take advantage of the good mood while he slowly made his way down the stairs. "How about we find you a little something to eat, alright?" he suggested lightly, sending a sideways glance at Clint.

An unhappy moan sounded from the child and he dropped his head dramatically onto the other's shoulder. "Not hungry."

"Just a little bit," Loki assured, kissing his cheek lightly. "Can you do that for me? Can you do that for Daddy?"

Clint whined, but relented. "Okay," he muttered quietly.

"How about some soup? Does that sound okay?" Loki walked into the kitchen, barely sending a glance at Tony who was at the table, engrossed in tinkering with one of Clint's newest toy cars. "I would appreciate if you didn't do that at the table," he muttered as he walked past the genius, kicking the chair lightly.

"Really, why is that?" Tony glanced up, reaching out to pull on Clint's foot and earning a muffled giggle from the boy.

"Because we _eat _there," Loki replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"It's not that bad, I'm just fixing up one of Clint's cars. This time it'll be able to reach up to ten miles an hour if it's charged enough. I could even make it shoot out fire when it goes off, or-"

"Nope," Loki grabbed the car and tossed it into the other room, "nothing dangerous Stark."

'It's just a little bit of flames, it would look _cool_, wouldn't it kid?" Tony grinned at Clint, who had picked his head up and was frowning at Loki.

"It would be awesome," he muttered, pouting.

Loki sighed and pushed Clint's bangs away from his warm forehead. "I don't want you accidentally hurting yourself sweetheart." Clint continued to pout but went back to snuggling his face into Loki's neck. "Would you like to take him or make his supper?"

Tony glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not even going to attempt to take him away from you." He got up and went for the cupboards, finding a pot and a can of soup. "The things I do for you Barton."

Clint grinned and reached out to tug on Tony's sleeve as Loki walked past. "I love you Papa."

Tony rolled his eyes as Loki chuckled. "Cheeky little kid, you know just how to get what you want, don't you?"

Clint just smiled cutely and hid his face in Loki's shoulder.

"So Clint, you have a good nap?" Tony turned on the stove, glancing over at the boy who was busy trying to get Loki to let him sit on the counter.

"Yeah," Clint's smile grew as he looked back at Tony, "no scary dreams." His nightmares had gotten progressively worse due to recent events and every time he woke up screaming and crying it only made the others worry more.

"That's great kiddo." Tony smiled genuinely, reaching out to ruffle Clint's hair. "How about we celebrate with some dinner?"

Clint rolled his eyes, looking way too annoyed for a four year old, and went back to whining at Loki in an effort to be picked up.

Loki grinned and took the boy back into his arms, glad that he was no longer in danger of falling off the counter. "Your Papa has a wonderful idea for once."

"Ha," Tony scoffed, "Who's the genius playboy billionaire philanthropist here?"

"I think he's getting a bit delusional," Loki murmured to Clint, who giggled in response.

"You guys are making fun of me aren't you?"

"Nope." Clint wiggled in Loki's arms, reaching out for Tony and smiling as he was transferred into his arms. "Don' hafta. You do it yourself."

"Whoa there!" Tony laughed and glanced up at Loki, who was smirking as well. "Somebody's getting an attitude, I think you're spending too much time around us buddy." He tickled Clint's tummy, causing the boy to laugh loudly and squirm in Tony's grasp.

"Careful around the stove," Loki warned, frowning a bit as Clint's leg moved closer to the appliance, "I don't want him to get burned."

"He's alright," Tony hummed, making a face at Clint and causing the boy to giggle even more.

"'S okay Daddy, I gotted burnt before." Clint reached out to pat Loki's arm, a happy smile still on his face as he stayed latched onto Tony.

The two adults shared a look over his head, the child's words spiking a strange fear into both of them. "What happened?" Tony asked quietly, apprehensive about the answer.

Clint went quiet and relaxed back against Tony's chest. "He was real mad one night," his voice had gone soft and neither man bothered to question just who Clint was talking about. Tony buried his face in Clint's soft hair, holding him tightly. "Mamma was makin' dinner an' he was yellin' real loud. I gotted in the way so he grabbed me an' putted my hand on the stove." Clint lifted his hand and squirmed away from Tony slightly. "See?" There was a faded burn mark snaking from Clint's wrist to his palm.

It was small and hardly noticeable, of course Loki had seen it before but he never thought to ask about it. And now that he knew what had happened he had a hard time keeping his anger in check. Carefully, Loki took hold of the small hand and pressed a soft kiss to the scar. "You didn't deserve that little one, you _never_ deserve to get hurt."

Tony started rubbing his back softly. "Your Daddy's right kiddo, no one's supposed to hurt you like that." He was starting to get worried about Clint, and with good reason he figured.

"Okay." Clint's voice was muffled as he curled back into Tony's hold.

It was troubling for the both of them that Clint hadn't said 'I know'. He had to know just how wrong it was that someone would even think about hurting the small child. They'd tried to instill it in him, he was _four _for God's sake, he should be impressionable. But it seemed as if he'd already picked up a few things from his unstable household.

"Papa, what 'bout my soup?" Clint picked up his head to stare at Tony with wide, bright eyes.

Tony took a deep breath and nodded, giving Clint a kiss to his forehead before he handed him back to Loki.

"I love you," Loki murmured into Clint's hair as he made his way to the table.

Clint nodded and cuddled into Loki. "Love you too." The four year old stayed wrapped in Loki's hold as he sat down. He leaned back into Loki's chest and absentmindedly started playing with the god's sleeve. Loki allowed it, his heart still racing from Clint's most recent recollection.

"Here you go kid." Tony set a bowl in front of him, ruffling his hair while he walked away.

Loki picked up the spoon, knowing Clint wasn't going to feed himself. "Eat a little," he encouraged, "it's for the best sweetheart."

Clint did as he was told, as if he could sense that Loki was still tense from before. But after a few spoonfuls he was done. "No more Daddy," he murmured, turning his head away and rubbing at his eyes.

"A little more?"

"_No_ more."

Loki sighed and put down the spoon. "Alright. But you need to drink the medicine Tony gives you. It'll help with your headache." He smoothed down Clint's hair, giving him a quick kiss to the top of his head.

Clint whimpered as Tony set a small cup of children's Motrin in front of him, but drank it as Loki instructed. "Yucky."

"I'm sorry, but it'll help. Do you want to play with your toys for a little?" Loki stood up, sending a nod of thanks to Tony as he started clearing the table.

Clint nodded and relaxed in Loki's hold. "Play wif me?"

Loki heard Tony snort and chose to ignore him. "I would love to," he smiled softly at Clint, taking the boy to the living room. "What do you want to play?" he asked, setting Clint on the floor next to a toy chest they'd acquired that was already overflowing with toys.

"Umm…" Clint pulled himself onto his knees, glancing through the toys. "Let's build train tracks." He pulled out a bin of wooden tracks, complete with multiple toy trains. Clint absolutely loved it.

Loki smiled and sat down next to Clint and set to work on helping him build the train tracks. "What do I do?" he asked, glancing down at the small boy.

Clint was already pulling the pieces out, looking determined as he started to build. "Jus' put the pieces together, like a puzzle," he paused and fixed Loki with a look, making the god somehow feel lowered by a four year old, "but it has to be awesome."

_No pressure. _"Awesome it is then." Loki chuckled and started to help, checking in with Clint to make sure he was doing it right. "Like this?" He added another piece to the wooden tracks.

"Yeah." Clint crawled over and started to build more. "But now it hasta have a turn, 'cause the train needs ta stop at the train station so the people can get on."

"Where's the train going to take all those people?" Loki wrapped an arm around Clint's middle and pulled him into his lap, tickling him lightly.

"Daddy!" Clint was in a fit of giggles, squirming in Loki's hold. "They're gonna go all over the world, far, far away."

Loki smiled and rocked Clint slightly. "Are you going to go with? Are you going to go far, far away?"

"Nope." Clint stood up, putting his hands on Loki's cheeks. "'M gonna stay wif my daddy forever."

Loki's smile grew as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the tip of Clint's nose. "That sounds perfect." He hugged Clint tightly, before setting him back on the floor. "We need to finish these tracks, don't we?"

Clint grinned and shoved more wooden pieces in Loki's hands so he could focus on putting a train together. Loki continued to smile and started working on putting together the rest of the tracks

"Christ, what are you doing?" Tony wandered in, looking at the tracks with disdain. "Come on Dasher, you can do better than that."

Clint giggled at Loki's side. With the approaching holiday season Tony delighted in using every reindeer name in his repertoire, much to Loki's confusion.

"And you could do better?" Loki glanced up, looking much less intimidating with a four year old sprawled across his lap and a wooden train track in one hand.

"Psh, much better." Tony quickly joined them on the floor, picking up a couple of pieces. "See, it has to go in a full loop and _then _over the bridge."

Loki scoffed and switched the pieces. "No, it has to go over the bridge so it can build up enough speed to go around the loop."

"So you're an expert about trains now?"

"You are?"

"Hey!" Clint banged two pieces together, gaining the attention of both. "No fighting, just building," he pouted pitifully, "do you needa hug and make up?"

"We are best friends!" Tony smiled enthusiastically and glanced at Loki. "Right Prancer?"

Loki sighed and matched his smile. "Yes, best friends. That is right. Just… two best friends, building train tracks with my wonderful little boy."

"Good." Clint kissed his cheek and did the same for Tony. "Now, back to work."

"Sir yes sir," Tony muttered, but there was an amused smile on his face as he continued building.

Loki pulled Clint into his lap and went back to his helping with the tracks while Clint focused on his train. "Daddy, which one should go next? Silver or green?"

"Mm, green." Loki ran a hand through Clint's hair as he snapped another piece in place.

"Figures," he heard Tony mutter.

"What was that Stark?"

"Nothing dear," came the mocking tone.

Loki rolled his eyes, before refocusing his attention. "Shouldn't this curve go over there? The train would be able to go much faster if we delay the turn."

Tony glanced over and paused. "You're right for once." He quickly set to work fixing the problem, before looking over the track once more. "What if… we switched this piece with this one?"

"That could work." Loki leaned forward, gently depositing Clint on the floor. "And then if we add this one right… here."

"Yeah, that looks good."

Clint glanced up at his Daddies before going back to building his train (seven cars so far) and smiling at the lack of fighting. He was glad they were being nice and working together for once, because now his train tracks really were awesome.

"Papa." Clint tugged on Tony's sleeve, gaining his attention. "Where's the one that goes by itself?"

"Oh, here kiddo." Tony handed it to him before going back to the tracks with Loki.

Clint smiled happily, but it was short lived as he started coughing again. Instantly, the two men's focus was back on the child.

He felt his daddy's hand softly rubbing his back and his papa disappeared for a moment before he reappeared and held a cloth to his face, just in case he started coughing up stuff again. It didn't happen as much as it did in the hospital, but Clint hated it.

Slowly, the coughing fit disappeared and Clint was breathing easy again. "Are you okay little one?" Clint was lifted into Loki's lap.

"Ya." Clint yawned and snuggled into Loki, murmuring a small 'thank you' as Tony handed him some water.

"Tired?" Loki asked, brushing his thumb over Clint's cheek.

Clint almost nodded before he glanced back at the train tracks. "No Daddy, I wanna play wif my train."

"Hey, tell ya what kiddo, since your daddy and I worked so hard on this we'll keep it here overnight and you can play with it all you want in the morning." Tony stood up and put away a few stray pieces.

Clint thought about it for a moment. "Kay," he muttered, pressing his face into Loki's chest.

Loki smiled softly and stood up as well, holding Clint tighter. "Do you want to say goodnight to Papa?"

Clint nodded quickly and held out his arms for Tony, who promptly snatched him up. "Hug and kiss?" he guessed, bopping him on the nose. Clint giggled and nodded, wrapping his arms around Tony's neck.

"Yeah." The boy cuddled into him, turning his head as Tony pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Can I watch a movie 'fore bed?" Clint picked up his head to turn wide, pleading eyes at Loki and Tony.

"I can't say no to that." Tony sighed heavily, a smile tugging at his lips. "It's alright with me, but if your daddy wants to be the mean one and say no then there's nothing I can do buddy…" he trailed off, two pairs of expectant eyes turning to Loki.

Loki rolled his eyes and grabbed Clint, lifting the child back into his arms. "Nothing that will give him nightmares, alright?"

"That's a yes kid, get your pajamas on and get back down here and we'll pick something out." Tony smiled at Clint who returned it.

"Yay Daddy!" Clint clapped happily and his blue eyes shone brightly. Loki couldn't regret decisions when they had an outcome like that.

Loki softly rubbed Clint's back as he started up the stairs, humming in acknowledgement as Clint started to ramble on about one thing or another. "What pajamas do you want to wear?" he asked softly, setting Clint down on the bed.

Clint shrugged and rubbed his eyes tiredly, still babbling about the newest toy car Tony had gotten him. _It's even got doors that open Daddy! _

Loki chuckled and looked through the dresser, grabbing a pair of pajamas for Clint and gently maneuvering them onto the child as he continued to talk about whatever interested him.

"All done sweetheart. Now, weren't you going to go to bed now?" His eyes sparkled as Clint frowned and scrunched up his face.

"No Daddy, we're going to watch a movie."

"Are we? I thought you were going to go to sleep now, isn't that what we said?"

"Nooo, you need ta get your head checked." Clint giggled and crossed his legs on the bed, reaching out for Loki who happily stood up with Clint in his arms.

"That's not it. I specifically remember you saying that you wanted to go to sleep after getting your pajamas on."

Clint bunched up Loki's shirt in his fist, kicking his feet impatiently. "I never said that."

"Are you sure? I thought you loved going to bed." Loki smiled as Clint pouted at him.

"Nuh uh. You're wrong."

Loki hid another smile and nuzzled Clint's soft hair. "I can never be wrong about my baby." Clint was about to put up another protest as Loki grabbed Ranger from the bed. "But I guess we can pretend that you'd rather watch a movie instead."

A smile appeared on Clint's face and he tucked his head under Loki's chin. "Love you Daddy."

"Love you too." Loki couldn't hold back the grin that escaped.

They made their way back downstairs where Tony was flipping through movies, trying to find one that Clint would like. "Hey buddy, you wanna watch Finding Nemo?"

"What's that?"

"We'll watch it then." Tony grinned as Loki set Clint on the couch and the boy snuggled into his side.

Loki grabbed a blanket and covered Clint, leaning over to kiss his forehead as he sat down. He wrapped an arm around Clint, slightly troubled at the warmth still radiating from the small boy. "I think his fever is getting worse," he murmured quietly.

Tony glanced down at the four year old, who was already settled in to pay attention to the movie. "He's alright, stop worrying."

Loki sighed and was about to say something as Clint burst into tears. "Daddy… Daddy all the baby fishies died."

"Stark, _what _did I say?" Clint was lifted into Loki's lap, still crying as he curled into him.

"No, it gets better, I swear! See, look Clint, they're still happy. Everything's alright, everything's going to be fine."

"All… all of 'em died an' so did the mamma, an' th-the daddy's all sad. 'S not… 's sad."

"Shh," Loki cooed, wrapping his arms around Clint and rocking him slowly, "it'll be all better. I'm sure Papa was right, it'll have a happy ending. That is the best kind of ending, right?"

Clint sniffled and glanced back at the screen. "No, endings are stupid. 'S better when the story doesn't end."

Loki let a small smile grace his face and he lifted Clint to press another kiss to his cheek. "I'm sure you'll like this one sweetheart, you just need to calm down and watch the movie." Truthfully he didn't think Clint was going to be awake for the whole thing, he gave it less than half an hour, but he hoped he could help his child calm down somehow.

Another dry cough left Clint's throat, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. "'S another fishy," he hiccupped, pointing to the screen.

Loki closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. "Yes it is, and I'm sure we'll see more."

"Maybe we could even see real ones someday Clint, would you like that? We could go to an aquarium and see all the fishies and jellyfish, maybe even some sharks." Tony reached out to run a hand through Clint's hair as the four year old crawled out of Loki's lap to sit in between the two again.

"Yeah." Clint sat back and allowed Loki to readjust the blanket around him. "I'd like that." He settled down again, in the way only a four year old could.

"Then we'll do it," Tony promised. He sat back and focused on the movie, occasionally running his fingers through Clint's hair.

The boy stayed snuggled in between the two men, perfectly warm and content. His mood lifted and high pitched giggles soon filled the room, leaving the other two occupants smiling. Although, as Loki predicted, Clint didn't make it through the first half hour. He was asleep soon enough. But so were Tony and Loki, dozing off lightly with Clint sprawled over their laps.

It wasn't until the credits started rolling that Loki was roused out of his daze. He shook the sleep out of his head and instinctively glanced around for Clint, who was curled up with his head pressed against Loki's thigh and his feet kicked up in Tony's lap. Tony himself was asleep as well, a hand cradling his head and his own feet propped on the coffee table.

The trickster sighed at the thought of moving the child, but knew it was for the best. Carefully, he stood up. Ranger had fallen onto the floor somehow and he made sure to pick the stuffed animal up before moving on to Clint. "Come here sweetheart," he murmured quietly, slipping his arms under the child. Clint mumbled and squirmed a bit in Loki's arms but didn't wake up.

"He out?" Tony's groggy voice floated into the air as he woke up, slowly taking in his surroundings.

"Very much so." Loki was still gazing at Clint as he pressed a kiss to the boy's warm cheek. "Could you hand me…?" he glanced over at the blanket, knowing Clint liked the blue one the best.

"Hm? Oh yeah, one second." Tony grabbed the blanket and got up, stretching slightly. "Night kid, love you." He tucked the blanket around Clint, giving him a quick kiss to the forehead before he shuffled away.

Loki yawned as well, shifting Clint so he could get a better hold on him while he headed up the stairs. Just as he was going to put him in bed Clint whimpered and shifted in Loki's hold.

After many rough nights with him Loki had learned the signs of certain nightmares in Clint. And tonight looked bad. "Oh no little one, you're okay, Daddy's got you." He carefully moved to the rocking chair that had been set up in the corner for instances like this. "Shh, Daddy's right here."

Clint was still fussing, not awake but not yet out of the throes of his nightmare. Loki sighed. He still had yet to find a way to keep Clint from suffering like this.

Even though it was futile he sat down and rocked Clint slowly, hoping the soothing motion would help some. It didn't. His whimpers were only getting worse and a tiny hand grasped desperately at the blanket.

"You're safe sweetheart, Daddy's here." It hurt to know that he couldn't do anything about it, and Loki was desperate by now. He didn't want to go through another night of hearing Clint have a breakdown like this, he was only four.

"No…" Clint moaned in his sleep, face contorting in fear.

"Hush," Loki murmured, completely at a loss for what to do. He tried to think back to what he knew of Clint's nightmares and the best way to keep him calm.

"No Daddy… No leave."

"Why do you do this to me?" Loki brushed a hand over Clint's cheek, feeling miserable that he couldn't do anything else.

"You try singing to him?" Tony was standing in the doorway, watching Loki with tired eyes.

Green eyes glanced up and he raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think that will help?"

A heavy sigh was the first response. "He'd be mad for me telling you this… but when he was, um, 'normal' stuff like this wasn't uncommon." The genius strode forward, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "We could hear him sometimes, yelling, stuff like that. And I just went over to check on him once and instead I found Natasha there, just sitting in the room singing to him in… Russian probably. He calmed down after a couple of minutes."

Loki glanced down again, troubled at the tear staining Clint's face. "It was my fault, wasn't it?"

"Probably. But you never know with Barton, always the wildcard." Tony offered a meek smile, dropping it quickly.

"Mmhm." His hand was soft as he brushed it through Clint's hair. "Well… what do I sing?"

Shock fell across the other's face for a moment before he snapped out of it. "I… I don't know really. I'm sure there's some sort of lullaby that would work." Tony shrugged.

"Anything specific?" Loki glanced up, suddenly feeling even more helpless that neither of them had an idea about what to do for his baby.

"Yes. I have a whole repertoire of children's lullabies in my head." Tony rolled his eyes but softened his expression as Clint cried out in his sleep. "Here, just… I think I have something. Can I take him?"

Loki hesitated, but eventually stood up and moved next to Tony, carefully transferring Clint over.

"Don't… don't make fun of me or something, alright? I'm doing this for Clint." He shifted uncomfortably, but his eyes focused on the boy in the arms. "Alright kid, you better appreciate this. For once I found something I can't buy…" He took a deep breath, smoothing back Clint's hair as he started to sing quietly.

_You are my sunshine_

_My only sunshine_

_You make me happy when skies are grey _

_You'll never know dear _

_How much I love you_

_Please don't take_

_My sunshine away_

"Your singing voice is horrible," Loki murmured as he leaned over and brushed a hand through Clint's curls. He couldn't deny the soothing affect that seemed to be working on the boy though.

"I'd like to see you do better."

_The other night dear_

_As I lay sleeping_

_I dreamed I held you in my arms_

_When I awoke dear_

_I was mistaken_

_And I held my head_

_And cried_

Clint was calming down more, his squirming dying down. Tony watched him for a moment and finally relented. "Now I'm going to go to bed and let your daddy finish this off."

"What?"

"Don't look so terrified, just sing to him. The first verse, he'll be fine. Come on, do it for this sweet little face." Tony turned and gave Clint back.

Loki glanced down at Clint, who was still fretting in his arms. "I'd do anything for him."

"Then sing to him and stop his nightmares," his eyes drilled into Loki's, as if he was challenging him.

"I thought you were leaving," Loki snapped back as Clint whimpered again.

"Not until I'm sure this kid is taken care of."

Loki couldn't hold back the slight fear at Clint's condition and instead glanced up with wide at Tony who was still standing in front of him expectantly. "Sing." With another sigh Loki relented, rocking Clint in his arms slightly as he started to sing.

_You are my sunshine_

_My only sunshine_

_You make me happy when skies are grey _

_You'll never know dear _

_How much I love you_

_Please don't take_

_My sunshine away_

Clint stopped his fussing while Loki's voice filtered into his ears and instead curled up slightly, his thumb sticking in his mouth.

"Oh my God we did it." Tony looked slightly shocked even though a smile was breaking out on his face. "He's good, we fucking did it."

"Shh," Loki warned, but a warm smile was on his own face as Clint stayed calm in his arms. "You're right though, we did it."

For a few more minutes the two stayed silent, gazing down at the peaceful four year old until Tony scrubbed a hand over his face. "I'm going to get some sleep, this little thing pretty much sucks the energy out of ya."

"It's worth it," Loki immediately added, ignoring Tony's eye roll.

"If you're lucky I'll make you a scrapbook." A cheeky grin appeared on Tony's face.

"Now I see where he gets that sarcasm from."

"Oh please, it's from the both of us."

Tony smiled at Clint once more before he stood up fully and made his way out of the room, yawning loudly.

"Good night little one," Loki murmured as he turned and reluctantly placed Clint back on the bed. "Sweet dreams."

_**Not to bad I hope. Pretty please review? I'm still trying to decide what Clint should get for Christmas because it's so frustrating and it has to be just perfect.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Major apologies here, but all I can really say is that life got in the way and I am truly and utterly sorry for taking so long with this. It's a little late for Christmas but who cares, there's cuteness so I'm sure y'all can put up with it.**_

_**And thank you for all of the amazing reviews and favorites and follows, they really do keep me inspired!**_

_**Anyways, this chapter is a little choppy and rushed, but I hope it's not too bad.**_

"Daddy, I wanna be jus' like you when I grow up."

"You're supposed to be napping little one."

Clint sighed and rolled over, tucking himself into Loki's side. "But 'm not tired."

Loki chuckled softly, pulling the covers over Clint. "Then at least try to rest. You're a young thing sweetheart, you need to save your energy."

"E'cept 'm not tiiiired," Clint drew the word out, a pout forming on his face. "Why're you so mean?"

"Oh I'm just the worst aren't I?" Loki teased him softly, brushing away the bangs on the boy's forehead. "I'm sorry I care about you so much Clinton."

Clint huffed, turning his face away from Loki while simultaneously snuggling closer to him.

"I love you too." Loki ruffled his hair, relaxing slightly. He stayed like that for a while, Clint eventually curling up as his breathing evened out. The god sighed softly and internally debated if he should get up or not. Clint was asleep though, and he looked so peaceful. Loki was fine staying exactly where he was.

It didn't take long for Loki to fall asleep, Clint was a wild child really, it took a lot of energy to keep him safe and unharmed. And the assumption was only proved as a tiny blonde head of hair popped up from underneath the blankets moments after the god fell asleep.

Clint stared at Loki warily for a second, before moving closer to kiss his cheek lightly. The boy smiled, pleased with himself as he tucked the covers over Loki. Slowly, he crawled off of the bed, feet dangling for just a moment before he made it to the floor. The small boy quietly slipped out of his bedroom, humming softly to himself as he picked up one of his toy trucks that had been deposited in the hallway. He happily bounced down the stairs, running the truck along the banister.

"Clint? What're you doing?" Clint glanced up as Steve appeared, a frown on the super soldier's face. "You're supposed to be taking a nap."

Clint bounced down from the last step. "Not tired. But ya still gotta be quiet cause Daddy's sleeping." He brushed past Steve, running his truck along the wall.

"If I recall, you're supposed to be in bed whether you're tired or not." Steve raised an eyebrow and stepped behind Clint, lifting him up easily.

Clint's feet kicked in the air and he pouted somewhat fiercely. "Stevie!" he gasped softly, "no! No, p'ease! You're my favorite uncle, I love you, I love you, I love you, don' make me take a nap."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Clint…"

"Captain America's way cooler than Iron Man! I like your hair! I don' wanna take a nap!" He tilted his head back, staring at Steve with wide, baby blue eyes. "I'll hate you, I'll hate you, I'll hate you."

The super soldier sighed, staring at Clint for a long moment. He couldn't handle making that little thing cry. "You can stay here if you promise to help me with something."

"What?" Immediately, Clint perked up.

"Well, I was thinking you would help me make Christmas cookies."

"Is it fun?" Clint stared at him suspiciously.

"Of course it's fun, we're making cookies."

Apparently that was the only convincing Clint needed because he grinned and nodded eagerly. "I like you again."

"Good," Steve chuckled, "I was worried for a minute there."

Clint just bounced in excitement, his truck forgotten as he dropped it on the ground while Steve carried him into the kitchen. "What do we do? How do we start?" Questions spilled out of his mouth as Steve grabbed a stool and put it next to the counter, carefully setting Clint down.

"Well, first we have to put all of the ingredients together, mix it up, and then we let the dough settle before we can cut it into shapes and bake it."

Clint was completely enraptured with Steve's explanation and he jumped excitedly. "And they'll be yummy?"

"What else would they be?" Steve chuckled, patting Clint's head before he started to get the ingredients out.

Clint hummed happily and bounced on the stool, watching Steve with excited interest. "Do ya think Daddy'll like 'em?"

"Of course he will. As long as you make it your Daddy will love it." Steve knew it was painfully obvious that Loki's approval and praise was what Clint craved the most. Everyone probably would have been more worried if Loki hadn't embraced it. The god always made sure that Clint knew that his daddy was incredibly, extremely proud of him no matter what.

Clint nodded at Steve's answer and shifted impatiently on the stool. "What can I do ta help?"

"How about this, I'll measure everything out and you pour it in the bowl." Steve started to arrange things on the counter, much to Clint's delight.

"Yeah!" Clint jumped up excitedly, causing the man beside him to place a hand on his back in case he fell off the stool.

Steve couldn't help but smile though, Clint genuinely looked happy. Something that had been missing from the archer in the time he had known him. "Alright, now just take this and pour it into here." He helped the boy hold the measuring cup, carefully dumping the sugar into a mixing bowl.

Clint was delighted with helping him, and a wide smile was on his face as they continued. Steve in turn loved it just as much. The sight of the small boy being so open and happy around him was rewarding enough.

"Here, just pour this in and then we'll mix it and be done." Steve steadied the boy's hand as he gave him a cup of flower, watching Clint intently as he did as told.

"All done!" Clint chirped.

"Good job," Steve smiled, earning a toothy grin from Clint. God did that smile light up a room. "Now we'll just roll them into balls and put 'em on the baking sheet, alright?"

Clint nodded eagerly, jumping off of his stool in excitement. His smile was still bright. "I can do that!"

"I'm sure you can." Steve chuckled, moving the stool to another part of the counter with the cookie dough. "C'mon, let's get started."

Never before had Steve seen Clint so enraptured with something. He was intent on doing a good job, of making someone, whoever was looking, proud. "Is this okay Stevie?"

The super soldier glanced up from where he was working on his own and smiled at Clint. "It's perfect."

Clint beamed.

They soon finished, with Steve putting the cookies in the oven (making sure that Clint didn't go anywhere near the danger of course) and Clint jumping around the kitchen in excitement. "Come here." Steve couldn't help but smile at the sight, reaching out to lift the little boy into his arms. "Do you wanna watch me draw some while we wait for them to bake?" he offered.

The boy's eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly. "Yeah!" When he'd still been in the hospital with pneumonia Clint had been very restless and generally fussy. Steve understood. Little kids weren't meant to be cooped up and tied down with illness. So he'd visited the child as much as he could, entertaining him with the thing that had entertained him whenever he was sick. Drawing.

At first he'd draw little pictures for Clint while the child colored in his own coloring books, the two sitting in a comfortable silence. But the boy was naturally curious, and had started to watch Steve work on his own drawings. Most were pictures that tended to amuse the boy; Steve couldn't help but want to see that bright smile on Clint's face whenever he saw him.

"Come on then." He headed into the other room with Clint, settling on the couch with the boy relaxing back in his lap and his sketchpad in front of them. "What do you want to see me draw?"

Clint thought for a moment, hesitating before he glanced back at Steve. "Can you help me make a Christmas present for Daddy?"

Steve was somewhat surprised, but he nodded. "Yeah, of course. What do you need help with?"

"Well I need ya ta make the pictures, an' Imma need someone to help me write stuff cause I wanna make 'im a book."

"A book? About what?" Steve glanced down, his surprise still obvious. Clint thought about it for a moment before he tipped his head back and smiled up at Steve.

"I wanna make a story!"

Loki woke up a little while later, blinking his eyes open and frowning slightly at the lack of a tiny warm body in his arms. His frown deepened as he sat up and realized he was alone in Clint's room. The god sighed, pushing himself up slowly.

As he made his way down the stairs the sound of soft giggling reached his ears, along with the smell of something sweet. He entered the kitchen with a raised eyebrow, finding Steve and Clint at the table. "What are you two up to?" he murmured, running a hand through the child's hair as he moved to sit next to him.

"We made Christmas cookies an' now we're dec-d-decoratinganing 'em." Clint grinned brightly despite the green and red frosting smeared on his face. Loki sighed and turned his gaze towards Steve.

"How long has he been awake?"

The soldier hesitated, seeming to weigh the options in his mind. "Well… he really didn't sleep to begin with."

Loki raised an eyebrow and glanced between the two. "He didn't take a nap?"

"Nope!" Clint's cheerful answer and Steve's sheepish look was all he got as an answer.

"And why didn't he get his sleep?"

"Well he didn't seem that tired… and I couldn't really say no when he looks at me with those puppy dog eyes," Steve quickly defended. "Sorry?"

"'S okay Stevie, 'm not mad at you."

Loki rolled his eyes and grabbed a napkin to wipe at Clint's face. "Of course _you're_ not mad darling, you got out of your nap."

Clint smiled and finished putting a few sprinkles on one of the cookies. "Yeah, an' we made cookies! Try one Daddy." He held it up for the god, a bright smile on his face as he waited eagerly.

A sigh left Loki's lips and he caught Steve's smirk. It was obvious that Clint's eager puppy dog eyes didn't have a hold on only him. He sighed heavily once more and took the cookie from Clint, taking a quick bite.

"Whaddya think?" Clint bounced on his knees and Loki relaxed as he noticed that Steve had put a hand on Clint's back to keep the boy from falling off of the chair.

"You did a very nice job little one," Loki praised quietly, not able to hold back a smile as Clint's face lit up.

Steve poked Clint in the side and earned a squeak from the boy. "I told you so," he teased with a smile, causing Clint to giggle.

Loki continued to smile and plucked Clint out of the chair as he stood up. "Yes, you and Stevie make some very good cookies. Unfortunately you two make quite a mess as well. It's bath time Clinton, and no protests." Clint sighed in resignation and dropped his head onto the god's shoulder. "And Steve here can clean up the kitchen while we're at it."

Steve rolled his eyes but set to work anyway, tapping Clint's head before the god took him upstairs. "Don't look so sad buddy, we'll eat all the cookies when you come back down here, alright?"

Clint immediately perked up, despite Loki's eye roll. "Yeah!"

"Spoiling the little one is not your job Steven."

"You and Tony can't have all the fun." Steve matched Clint's smile as he started to clean up, saving the cookies they'd made and decorated for later.

"Yes but he's ou-_my _child."

Steve smirked and pretended not to catch the slip. "And I'm his favorite uncle. That means I can spoil him."

"Yeah Daddy," Clint popped his head up from where he was resting against Loki's shoulder, "Stevie an' I are best friends an' he lets me do whatever I want."

"And that sounds great," Loki muttered dryly. Before either of the others could respond he shifted Clint and brushed the boy's hair away from his forehead. "Now, say goodbye to Stevie for now."

"We'll finish eating these later," Steve promised again, smiling at Clint before the god walked off.

Clint smiled and relaxed against Loki once more, quietly sucking his thumb. Loki's eyes flickered down for a moment, and he smiled softly at the sight of the young child resting in his arms. "Tired?" he chuckled.

"No!" Clint quickly defended eyes wide as he picked his head up. "'M not tired Daddy, I promise."

"Really? You didn't have a nap today."

"I know, but 'm not tired."

Loki rubbed the child's back, humming softly as he started up the stairs. "Alright, alright, I believe you." But Clint would still have an early bed time. And it seemed as if he wasn't going to get much objection as the boy snuggled back into him.

* * *

"Daaaaddy it's time to wake uuuuup." Clint's sing song voice broke through Loki's consciousness. "Daddy!" That one was a little more harsh, and accented with movement that would suggest that the four year old was bouncing next to him on the bed. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Loki finally cracked his eyes open. He tilted his head to get a good look at the overexcited boy, finding a smiling child only inches from his face. "You're awake!"

"Don't sound so surprised," Loki chuckled as he reached out to pull Clint into his arms. He pressed a kiss to the boy's forehead, smiling as Clint tried to squirm out of his hold. He glanced over at the clock and raised an eyebrow at Clint. "I thought Papa said that you couldn't get up until seven."

"I don' know numbers." Clint finally pulled himself free of Loki's grasp and flopped down next to him on the bed. "An' it's Christmas Daddy! Presents!" He kicked his feet in the air, grinning happily before he quickly sat up. "I needa get your present. Stay right there." He quickly clambered off the bed, tiny feet pattering on the floor as he ran off. Loki sat up, watching him in interest.

Clint was soon back with a present wrapped in exceptionally bright paper tucked into his arms. He pushed it onto the bed before attempting to climb up himself, legs kicking wildly until Loki chuckled and lifted him back up. "Why would you get me a present little one?"

"Cause you're my daddy an' I love you an' it's Christmas an' I love you." He kissed Loki's cheek.

"I love you too." Loki smiled brightly, heart already warming at his little boy. Clint quickly crawled away and grabbed the present, replacing himself with it in Loki's lap.

"Now open it!" He clapped in excitement, bouncing on his knees as he waited.

Loki chuckled and glanced over the present, finding that Clint had probably helped with the wrapping due to the amount of tape that had been used. "You should learn some patience." He bopped Clint on the nose, earning a giggle before he complied to Clint's wishes and opened the present.

He raised an eyebrow as he tore through the paper and glanced up at Clint. "A picture book?"

Clint nodded and smiled, a little more nervously. "'S a special one. For you an' me."

Loki set the box aside and pulled the book out, smiling as Clint quickly clambered into his lap. "Stevie made the pictures an' Bruce helped me write it. An' then Papa got it maded into a book."

"Really?" Loki murmured, running his fingers over the smooth hardcover surface.

Clint relaxed back against him. "Yeah. I wanted to make it just for you." He craned his head, glancing back at Loki. "D'ya like it?"

The god carefully opened the book, eyes widening. It was all about him and Clint, a young boy and his loving father. He flipped to the pages and found that it all held the same appeal. Some of the pictures were actual photos; others were drawings, great drawings at that. "I love it little one, almost as much as I love you."

Clint's smile melted from nervous to joyful. "I love you too Daddy." He turned and wrapped his arms around Loki once more, cuddling against him in a tight hug.

Loki wrapped an arm around him, quickly hiding his face in the boy's hair as tears started to well up in his eyes. This was his little boy, his baby. And he was more than Loki could ever ask for. But it hurt knowing he was going to have to let him go someday soon. He was going to lose this perfect child as well.

"Daddy, can we go wake Papa up now?" Clint pulled away, an eager look on his face.

Loki smiled as best as he could, finding it easier to cheer himself up as long as those bright blue eyes were shining with happiness. "In a moment, first I want to give you your gift from me."

"Oh!" Clint bounced back and landed on his butt, crossing his legs as he waited for Loki.

"One moment sweetheart." Loki carefully shifted himself out of bed, wiping his eyes free of any stray tears as he turned away and strode towards his closet. He knelt down and grabbed a soft blanket, holding it close to his chest as he approached Clint once more. "Unfortunately it's not wrapped. Thor retrieved it for me late last night and I just didn't have the time."

Clint didn't seem too bothered though as he was presented the blanket. It was small and unbelievably soft, the color a pale green. The young boy was captured with such a simple thing, marveling at how soft it was and how it sort of smelled like Daddy.

"It was mine when I was little, it often brought me comfort when I was scared." Loki sat down next to Clint, studying the boy's reaction. "What do you think?"

The god was answered with a bright smile. "Thank you Daddy!" Clint was genuinely happy as he hugged the blanket to his chest and quickly scrambled back into Loki's lap. "'S the bestest present I've ever gotted." His voice was muffled as he tucked his head into Loki's neck, gripping his shirt tightly.

Loki chuckled softly, standing up with Clint clinging tightly to him with his new blanket tucked under an arm. "Let's go get your Papa, alright?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically and bounced in Loki's arms, begging to be set down as soon as they neared Tony's room. "Papa!" Clint had bounced his way onto the billionaire's bed, blanket still clutched in his hand as he shook him awake. "Papa up! 'S Christmas!"

Loki smirked as Tony groaned and rolled over, blindly reaching for Clint and pulling the boy into his side. "Is it really? I think we should wait a while, just to make sure."

Clint scrunched up his face, obviously displeased. "Noooo, 's Christmas, even Daddy said so."

Tony sighed and picked up his head, glancing at Loki who was still leaning in the doorway. "You couldn't have kept him for at least five more minutes?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Loki grinned as Clint shot up once again. The four year old bounced on his knees and grabbed Tony's arm.

"Papa p'ease, let's go!"

Tony sat up slowly, wrapping Clint in his arms and glancing curiously at the blanket now clutched tightly in the boy's grasp. "Where'd you get that?" he asked as he stood up, the young boy wrapped safely in his old.

Clint hugged the blanket to his chest and rested his cheek on Tony's shoulder. "'S a Christmas present from Daddy." He smiled proudly and Tony glanced at Loki, who's expression was schooled expertly.

"Oh is it now? Well it looks like the competition is back on for favorite parent." Tony smirked at Loki as he walked by, Clint balanced on his hip.

"There was a competition?" Loki raised an amused eyebrow as he trailed behind, smiling softly as Clint glanced at him over Tony's shoulder.

Tony scoffed as they descended the stairs. "Not anymore." He kissed Clint's forehead before entering the living room, where the Christmas tree was set up. Under it, and around it, was a multitude of presents. All brightly wrapped and just waiting for an excited four year old to tear into them. "Merry Christmas kid."

Clint's eyes immediately went wide and he glanced up at Tony. "All for me?" Tony swore that he'd never seen such pure excitement in a child's eyes. And who knew all it took was a few twenty or so presents.

"All for you," the genius confirmed, giving Clint a quick kiss to the forehead before he lowered the boy to the ground. "Go crazy."

The boy jumped excitedly, grabbing Loki's hand and squealing as he pulled the god after him. "Daddy, 's so much! I never seen so much!"

"Yes little one," Loki chuckled, moving to his knees next to Clint. "Which one are you going to open first?"

The array of presents was almost too much for the bright eyed little boy. But he couldn't hold back the excitement that made him practically thrum with energy. "This one!" Clint grabbed the closest present, falling back and letting Loki hold him in his lap while he started to tear into the wrapping paper.

Tony made his way over to the pair, ruffling Clint's hair as the child squealed once more in surprise. "I gots Legos!"

Damn, if he was that excited about Legos he'd freak when he saw the last present. "Be right back," he murmured, patting Clint on the head before he turned and walked into the other room.

Loki was smiling as he petted the soft curls on his baby's head, thoroughly enjoying the pure happiness he was exhibiting. "What next?" he urged, grabbing a box within arm's reach so Clint wouldn't have to leave his hold. "This?"

A nod was his answer, and tiny hands pulled at the paper. "Wait kiddo." Tony wandered back in, a state of the art video camera in his hands. "Papa got himself a Christmas present." He sat down next to the two, pointing the camera at Clint. "Whaddya think kid? Mind if I record my baby's happiness for a little bit?"

Clint was shy at first, vaguely aware of what the camera was. He nodded, but hid his face in Loki's sleeve for a moment. "Okay," he murmured, but he was quickly urged into opening another present.

His nervousness was forgotten as he found a brand new racetrack for the toy cars he was going to receive as well. They were somewhere in the pile. "Oh! Daddy look!" he cried out happily.

Both men smiled, Loki tipping his head to give the boy a soft kiss to his head and Tony chuckled behind the camera. He knew it was a good investment.

"Keep going kid, otherwise it'll take ya all morning to get through these."

"Wasn't that the idea?" Loki's eyes flashed over to Tony with an amused smirk as Clint crawled off of his lap, eagerly delving into another present. Though he left his blanket in Loki's lap, trusting that it would be safe with Daddy.

"Nothing less than the best for my kid. Though I could've made him a fully functioning mini Iron Man suit as well but Natasha threatened to castrate me if I let him anywhere near something that dangerous."

A mortified look had crossed Loki's face for a moment, but he quickly calmed down. "Good," he muttered, "I would've done much worse if you brought him near anything even half as life threatening as that."

"Whatever, I compensated anyway."

"Daddy, Papa, 'm like Stevie!" Clint's blonde curls popped up from behind a pile of presents, a child sized Captain America shield held proudly in his hands.

Tony grinned brightly. "Keep digging kid, I'd be willing to bet that the rest of the team's in there somewhere." Clint matched his Papa's smile, quickly turning to find what else was lying in wait.

"Of course you did." Loki rolled his eyes, but the look on his face proved that he was more amused than anything.

Tony continued to film Clint finding that he actually liked relaxing and watching the young boy have fun. It was painfully obvious that he had never seen anything like this before. Of course, his Papa had gone way over the top with the presents and such, but he doubted that Clint had seen anything close to resembling even a normal Christmas. Truth be told Tony felt kind of proud that he could provide something that brought such joy to the boy, and the smile on his face reflected such.

"Why do you insist on filming?" Loki asked quietly, watching with a smile on his own face as Clint giggled and hugged a Hulk plushy he'd found.

"Gotta have memories of this." There was a certain unspoken worry between the team and Loki that Clint wouldn't remember his time as a child. There was also the worry that he would, and it would only complicate things farther. But Tony had put a lot of effort into making sure he documented many moments of the boy's time with them. Loki would never admit it, but he appreciated it. If anything he would always be able to go back and have evidence that there was a little boy who was his.

After a while it seemed like Clint was making a sizable dent in the pile and Tony couldn't wait to surprise him with the last present. When the boy found his last present, a chemistry set, 'Courtesy of Bruce, though I was the one who suggested he become our little lab rat. Don't give me that look Prancer, it's a joke,' he handed the camera over to Loki. "I'll be right back, keep filming." He got up swiftly, making his way into the other room.

Loki was confused by the billionaire's antics, but he didn't tend to care. "Having fun Clinton?"

The little blonde was surrounded by presents, absently playing with a few of the toy cars he'd finally found. "Yeah!" An excited smile was aimed at him, and Loki was sure to catch it on the camera.

"Okay Clint, now time for a gift from me." Tony walked back in, a huge grin on his face.

Clint just stared in shock for a moment. In Papa's arms was a squirming puppy, it's snow white and soft gray fur the only thing that was visible for a moment before the puppy looked over, light blue eyes glancing around in curiosity. "My puppy?" he asked in a voice that was so quiet it was obvious he couldn't believe it.

"Yup." Tony crouched down, letting the animal tumble ungracefully onto the floor. "Your puppy."

Silence settled over the room before Clint shrieked. Loudly. "Puppy Daddy! Puppy!" He was even more excited than when he'd first seen the pile of presents. "'S a puppy!" He jumped up and down, still squealing in delight. Tony didn't even see the hug coming until Clint was a giggling armful attached to his chest. "Thank you thank you thank you! I love you Papa, so so much, an' I love my puppy."

Tony chuckled and returned the hug, pressing a quick kiss to the boy's temple. "I love you too kiddo, you know I love seeing you this happy."

Clint grinned widely and finally pulled away from his papa, his eyes seeking out the puppy. He giggled and quickly made his way over to the animal, sitting down so he could envelope it in a hug. "Think he likes you kid." The puppy had just looked around idly as he was squished against the child's chest, not at all bothered by the attention it was receiving.

"What's its name Papa?" Clint patted the puppy's head, not even bothering to look Tony's way as he addressed him.

"The shelter said it was Caboose, but you can change it if you want."

"Nuh uh, I like it." The boy was completely enraptured by his brand new friend. Tony knew he'd done right.

"You get that all?" He shot a smug grin to Loki.

The god nodded smoothly, but frowned as he watched Clint with Caboose. "What if that animal is diseased?" he murmured, careful that the boy couldn't hear him. "Or what if it attacks him or hurts him in any way?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Gee, I didn't think about that. And here I was, willing to readily let my kid get infected with rabies or have his face eaten off due to my own stupidity."

"It's a legitimate concern, he's my _baby_."

A squeal of delight broke out over their impending fight. The puppy was licking at Clint's face and causing him to giggle endlessly.

"See? That's why I got him the thing, look how happy he is." Clint squealed again and crawled after Caboose as started to lumber off into discarded wrapping paper.

Loki sighed but his lips quirked at the sight of Clint enjoying himself so much. He could put up with the puppy, even though it didn't seem to be the brightest of animals.

"Well I'm going to go start on breakfast, figure we have to feed the little bastard." Tony took the video camera from Loki as he stood up, smiling slightly. He knew the others would want to see Clint's reaction to getting his puppy.

"I'll start cleaning up this mess." Loki stood up as well, folding Clint's blanket and putting it on the cough before moving to start cleaning up the wrapping paper. He sighed as he had to pull a few pieces from Caboose's mouth. He was already annoyed by the animal.

"You jealous?" Tony had noticed the exasperation on the other's face and couldn't help but smirk. "Baby's got a new friend, I know, but he'll still love you a little."

He was met with a glare. "Go get the baby some food."

Tony chuckled over the sound of Clint's own happy giggles as he walked into the kitchen.

A little while later Tony was setting a plate down for Clint and Loki was leaning idly against the counter and glaring at the genius, comforted by the fact that he could hear Clint bouncing around in the other room. "I know you like having his undivided attention and all, but he needs friend that aren't a bunch of superheroes and a batshit crazy god."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "I don't like the dog."

"Tough, I don't care. Clint, breakfast's ready!" Tony shot Loki a grin, only to be met with another sharp glare.

Another fight was broken up as Clint bolted into the kitchen, only to be grabbed and swung up into Loki's hold. "No running little one," he reminded the boy over his sudden explosion of giggles.

"Sorry Daddy." Clint's arms wrapped around his neck as he gave him a hug, relaxing against him until he was set down. "I was racing Caboose." The puppy lumbered into the room, slipping some on the hardwood floor.

"Just make sure you don't do it again," Loki murmured, ruffling Clint's hair before he turned and shot Tony an obviously displeased look.

"I'm sure he won't." Tony ignored the look and watched as Clint picked at his toast. "Eat kid, or Daddy's gonna pester the both of us."

Loki turned back to Clint and watched in satisfaction as the boy quickly took a bite. Caboose plodded around and settled near Clint's chair, causing him to grin. Loki just sighed. "Make sure you focus on your food and not the dog," he chided softly, but the child was hardly listening. That damn animal was already getting on his nerves.

But Clint soon finished most of his food, much to Loki's delight, and his own happiness was increased as he was allowed to go play with his toys again. He was soon giggling to himself once more with Caboose in tow. The animal had seemed to figure out that the little human was the one that was giving him the most attention.

Tony wandered back into the kitchen as Loki was cleaning up. "He's gonna freak when the others get here you now." The whole idea of a Christmas dinner was a compromise, seeing as everyone had wanted to be there for Clint's first Christmas with them.

"Yes, you're just full of surprises today."

"And now he loves me more than you."

"Right," Loki scoffed, "you can live with that delusion."

Tony looked like he was about to say something else but was interrupted as Clint bounded back into the kitchen. "Daddy what's this?" He was holding a child's bow, one of the ones modeled after Hawkeye's.

A snort of laughter caused Loki to motion for Tony to shush before he turned to Clint. Though he couldn't hold back his own amused smile. "That's a boy sweetheart, it fires arrows."

"You ever see Robin Hood?" At the small shake of a head Tony managed to keep from laughing outright. "Well he uses a bow, it's a weapon."

Clint frowned and glanced down at the toy. "Does it hurt people?"

"This one doesn't," Tony moved forward and crouched down to show the boy how it worked. "See, just press this button and it'll fire off a small suction dart." There was no way in hell Clint was strong enough to draw any sort of bow, even if it was a child's one.

"Good," the boy nodded. "I don' wanna hurt people. No one dess-deserves to be hurt."

Well fuck, that was a good way to bring down the mood. But Loki didn't tend to see it that way. "That's right," he cooed, swiftly moving forward to pick Clint up and wrap him up in his arms. "No one, especially not my little baby."

Tony understood and managed a soft smile as he stood up, ruffling Clint's hair. "Next movie night we're watching Robin Hood," he muttered, giving the child a quick kiss on the cheek before he walked off to call Steve and find out when they would be arriving.

* * *

Loki hummed softly as he pulled the sleepy boy out of bed, gladly letting him cuddle into his shoulder. "Have a good nap?" he asked quietly, rubbing Clint's back.

A soft mumble was his only answer, muffled as Clint's face was pressed into him. "Mmm yes, I see," Loki murmured in amusement.

He smiled as Clint just squirmed, clutching tighter at his blanket. "We've got another surprise for you." His voice was still soft and quiet, calm as he held his sleepy baby.

That peaked the child's interest, and he glanced up. "Wha' s'prise?" he asked, rubbing his eye with a tiny fist.

"It'll be here soon," he promised, taking Clint's hand and giving his knuckles a quick kiss. "You need to wake up a little more though."

The boy shook his head and went back to trying to sleep against his daddy's shoulder. "No."

Loki chuckled and kept his hand wrapped around Clint's, letting the child get his way for just a little longer. Though that time was cut short as a few loud noises echoed from downstairs. "Your surprise is here," he murmured, "shall we go downstairs and see?"

Clint yawned and nodded. "M'kay."

The boy was still snuggled into his hold as he started down the stairs, acutely aware of the number of voices that had suddenly appeared. Clint picked it up as well, tiredly looking up. "Daddy? 's here?"

Loki walked into the living room where the rest of the team had gathered with Tony, and Clint's day was made for the third time.

The previous tiredness disappeared quickly as he was passed from Avenger to Avenger, receiving hugs and kisses and snuggles that he was completely okay with. He ended up in Thor's lap, absently petting Caboose who was curled up next to them as he listened to everyone talking. "So Clint, is Caboose your favorite Christmas present?" Steve watched the boy with his dog, figuring that he would be ecstatic about getting a new best friend.

Clint thought about it for a moment, oblivious to Tony's still smug grin. "Second favorite," he corrected, his free hand still clutching his blanket. "Daddy's present's best."

"What." Tony's grin fell away.

"Yeah, blankie makes me feel safe."

"Oh come on, how do I win with you kid?"

"You love him," Loki smirked, reaching over to card his fingers through Clint's hair. "And you don't try to compete with me for favorite parent. Because you never will win."

"What happened to no fighting in front of the baby?" Natasha raised an eyebrow, but smiled as Clint huffed at being called a baby by someone other than his daddies.

"Yeah come on guys, it's Christmas. You don't want to ruin Christmas."

"Shut up Steve, stop trying to force your All-American values on me."

"Papa said a bad word."

"Seriously, 'shut up', you're a soldier Rogers you've seen war, how is shut up a bad word?"

Steve frowned. "It's not right to swear in front of a child."

"Ew, stop corrupting my kid."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Insufferable, Stark," he muttered.

"Thank you."

"Alright, well now that we've established that we're going to corrupt Clint in many different ways I say we get on with dinner." Bruce chose to break things up before they got heated, not wanting Clint to be subject to tension on Christmas day.

The food was heating up in the kitchen, and Clint was fine with being handed back to Daddy as everyone moved and got up. "Hungry darling?" the god asked quietly, letting Clint slump against him.

Clint shrugged, choosing instead to cuddle some more. Loki chuckled and softly started to rub the boy's back as they moved into the kitchen. There was a slight protest as he was set down in his own chair, not wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of Daddy's arms.

"Calm down," Loki crooned, pulling a chair up next to him and resting a hand on his head. "There's no reason for you to be upset."

Clint just whined, reaching out and hoping to be pulled back into Daddy's arms.

"Someone's fussy," Natasha poked Clint's side as she sat down on the other side of him, grinning at his indignant huff.

"Stop Tasha."

"Stop what?" She poked him again and Clint whined.

"Stop!"

She raised an eyebrow and poked him again.

"Daddy!"

"Tattletale."

Loki sighed. "Why are you antagonizing him?"

"Because it's fun."

Clint glared at Natasha, still pouting as he was lifted onto Loki's lap. "You're antagonizing a four year old."

"And it's fun."

Loki frowned, brushing his thumb over Clint's cheek in an attempt to calm him. There was a reason he didn't like having many people near his baby.

* * *

Despite a few hiccups dinner went by smoothly and Clint was dismissed to go play as the adults decided to catch up with each other. He was in his room, trying to decide what to play with. Caboose was in his kennel downstairs because he'd made a mess in the house and Daddy had started talking to Papa really quietly but Clint didn't know what about because Bruce had asked Clint to show him the chemistry set he'd gotten.

But now he was up in his room alone, surrounded by more toys than he'd ever gotten on all his Christmases and birthdays combined. Well, as far as he knew. He could only vaguely remember his last Christmas and it definitely wasn't as great as this one. Though he did remember having hot chocolate that Mama made and Barney had given him a Batman action figure.

Thinking about it made him sort of miss Barney. He bet if his brother was there they would be able to play together with all of his new toys and he wouldn't feel so lonely. With a small pout the boy sat in the middle of the floor, looking slightly dejected. He missed his brother. He had no one to play with and no one to talk to and even though he loved his new family with all his heart he felt bad for leaving his old one.

As he thought back on his Mama and Barney and Mean Daddy he started to cry softly. Nothing too over the top, just a few tears falling down his face and muted sniffles. He missed his old family, even if it was a lot of yelling and screaming and crying and a lot of things hurt a lot of the time.

"Clint, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Thor had slipped into his room at one point, worry creasing his face.

Clint just shook his head, reaching out wordlessly to be picked up.

He was quickly wrapped up in a warm hold, tucked safely against Thor's broad chest. "Then what's bothering you little bird?"

The boy sniffed and hesitated before he spoke quietly, voice wavering. "I miss my brother."

There was a calm quiet as Thor took a moment to sit down on the edge of the bed, Clint pulled against his chest. "What do you miss about him?" he asked, voice subdued as he adjusted Clint's blanket so it would cover the boy.

Clint was a little surprised, everyone always tried to tell him it was okay and stuff like that when he was sad, so it took the boy a moment to put his thoughts together. "I miss playing with him, an' talkin' to him an' when I get sad he tells me ta suck it up cause 'm not a baby no more."

A chuckle rumbled in Thor's chest. "And does that work?"

A few seconds passed and Clint shrugged. "Not really, but I like it. Cause he's sayin' 'm not a baby an' I hate when he calls me a baby."

"Does he do that a lot?"

Clint scrunched his face up, seemingly thinking hard. "Yeah, when he's bein' mean. I don' like when he's mean."

"No, I would imagine not. But he's nice sometimes as well?"

A small nod was the answer as Clint thought back. "He tells me everyfing's gonna be okay sometimes, even though 's not. But he tells me it an' I wanna believe him an' it helps. An' sometimes when we're really scared an' we're hiding he'll give me a big hug an' holds me until the yelling stops. An' when other kids try an' call me names an' say 'm stupid he punches 'em in the face." Clint broke out in a small grin at the memory, the tears starting to cease a little.

"Is that so? Well, it sounds like those are some nice moments little bird. I'm sure your brother misses that as well."

"Yeah," Clint sighed, "I don' want him to be sad either."

"What would he do, if he knew you were sad and missing him right now?"

Clint smiled a little. "He'd tell me to suck it up cause 'm not a baby."

"In other words, yes. He wouldn't want you to be this sad when you've got so much to be happy about."

The boy nodded once more, but curled up closer. "But he's not here to tell me that it's okay."

"I know it's not the same, but I can assure you that everything is going to be alright," Thor hummed, holding the small boy tightly.

That made Clint hesitate, but he finally glanced up. "I like that," he murmured.

"Good, because I just want you to be happy Clint."

Clint managed a small smile, tucking his face into Thor's chest. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, would you like me to play with you for a little while?"

His smile widened and Clint quickly urged Thor to set him back down. He was a little happier now that he was able to talk things out, and besides, he knew everything was going to be alright.

* * *

The New Year was just starting when Loki was startled awake by an exceptionally loud explosion. For a moment he laid there, trying to determine if there was a legitimate threat. Instinct kicked in and he jumped up, almost tripping over himself as he remembered that Clint was in the next room. Was he hurt? What was happening? What was that noise? Again, another explosion went off and a bright splash of color outside the window just barely managed to catch the god's eye.

Fireworks. There were fireworks going off somewhere nearby.

Slowly, his heart stopped pounding frantically and Loki managed to calm himself. They were still safe. Clint was safe. The relief was cut short however, as a strangled cry rang out over the next loud boom.

"_Daddy!_"

Loki snapped to attention, all but running out of his room and slipping into Clint's. The four year old was sitting in his bed with his hands clasped tightly over his ears. He sobbed loudly and Loki almost winced at the pain it brought to hear his little boy so distraught.

He wasted no time in crossing the room and sitting on the edge of Clint's bed, carefully gathering the crying boy into his arms. "It's alright, Daddy's right here," he murmured, sure that Clint couldn't even hear him as he curled up and hid his face in Loki's neck, hot tears soaking the god's shirt. The poor thing was too terrified to do much of anything other than sob, and it hurt.

Five minutes of sobbing and Clint claiming that he hated the noises and he wanted them to stop and _Daddy, I'm scared, _and Loki was ready to start crying himself. "Clint sweetheart, come on. Look at me, you're going to be okay." He slowly rocked the child in his arms, trying in vain to calm his little boy.

Another firework was fired off, exceptionally loud this time, and Clint screamed. An earsplitting, terrified scream.

He trembled in Loki's lap, crying loudly. "Dad-Daddy, please m-mah-ake it stop!"

Loki sighed and wrapped the young boy in a tight hug. "I can't little one. It's scary, I know, but nothing bad can happen to you. I'm right here, there's nothing to be afraid of." Clint continued to cry.

A distraction, he needed a distraction if he was going to stop the fear from completely taking hold of Clint. "Look at this, see this Clint?" He brought his palm up to the boy's line of sight, closing his eyes and focusing hard. Soon enough a small butterfly appeared in his palm, its rainbow colors fluctuating every now and then.

They had been fools to think that such powerful magic could be held off for so long. And while his powers were nowhere near strong enough to do much more than conjure a simple illusion, it was still a start. Though Loki wasn't sure if he should be happy or not.

The butterfly's wings fluttered and the shift in color was what brought Clint's attention away from the loud noises. He hiccupped and stared at the butterfly while tears still poured down his face, but the loud sobbing had started to die down. His hands slowly came away from his ears, even though he still flinched as another firework went off. He relaxed against Loki and watched the butterfly with wide eyes.

The small illusion fluttered its wings once more, lifting up and going from Loki's palm to the tip Clint's nose. The four year old managed a watery smile, a small hand coming up to carefully brush at a colorful wing.

Loki watched with bated breath. He hoped that this would provide some sort of way for Clint to focus on something other than the fear. "Pretty, isn't it?"

Clint managed a subdued giggle as the butterfly shifted and tickled his nose slightly. "I like it."

"I'm glad." Loki tucked his face into Clint's soft curls, truly relieved that his little boy was no longer sobbing relentlessly. "Are you feeling better sweetheart?"

Clint sniffled and watched as the butterfly took off, fluttering just out of his reach. He ignored Loki's question. "'S got alotta colors."

Loki chuckled softly and pushed away Clint's bangs. "Yes, yes it does. I figured you would like it. Much better than the fireworks, right?"

"Yeah." Clint stuck his thumb in his mouth, effectively ending the short conversation. It didn't stop him from snuggling closer to Loki though, Ranger and his blanket tucked under his other arm. He relaxed and watched the butterfly flutter around with interest.

Loki smiled softly and held him close. Though Clint was still shaking in his arms. "Daddy…" a tiny voice spoke up as Clint wiped at his tears. "How'd you get the butterfly?"

Loki sighed and brushed his fingers through Clint's hair, glancing down at the small boy. "It's too complicated for you to understand sweetheart."

Clint craned his head and glanced up at him. "Was it magic?"

Loki blinked. "Yes."

"Oh. Okay." Clint's thumb was stuck back in his mouth and he giggled some more as he watched the butterfly.

Well. That was easier than expected. Of course a four year old would be accepting of that simple explanation.

They sat like that for a little while longer before Loki gently placed Clint back down. The fireworks had stopped by then, but the young boy was still entranced with the butterfly, his eyes following it as it roamed around the room. Loki called it over easily and it perched next to Clint's head on the pillow.

"Do you think you can go back to sleep now little one?"

Clint glanced up at him and nodded slowly. "Can Caboose come sleep in my room?"

Loki was about to say no when he caught sight of the boy's face. Clint was still scared and if having his puppy helped then Loki just couldn't deny him. "I'll go get him. Stay here." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, gently adjusting the blankets before he got up.

After a few seconds of traveling downstairs he crouched in front of the kennel, glancing in at the animal. Apparently Clint wasn't the only one afraid of the fireworks. The puppy was shaking in his cage, curled up in a small ball and whimpering. Loki couldn't help but feel bad for the poor thing, despite his instance of hating it. "Alright, come on." He opened the door and carefully lifted the shaking dog out. It immediately curled into his arms, eerily reminiscent of its tiny owner.

Loki made his way back upstairs, knowing Clint wouldn't last long on his own. When he slipped back into the room he smiled softly at the sight. Clint had curled up and was staring at the butterfly that had moved to rest on the boy's outstretched hand.

"I think Caboose is a little wary of loud noises as well," the god murmured as he sat down on the edge of the bed, carefully depositing the puppy onto the sheets. He stood on shaky legs, glancing around to try and take stock of his new surroundings before he caught sight of Clint. The small ball of fluff immediately padded over to the boy, flopping down and snuggling up next to him.

Clint smiled widely. He was overjoyed at the fact that his puppy got to sleep in his bed and he yawned, reaching out for Loki. "You gonna stay Daddy?"

"I'm not going to leave my little boy alone while he's scared." Loki smiled softly and laid down next to Clint, the butterfly fading away as Clint's attention turned to Caboose. The puppy was more than okay with that. Loki watched as they two curled up with each other, a fond smile on his face.

Clint giggled as Caboose licked his face. "I think Caboose's jus' as happy as me."

"Of course he is, he loves you almost as much as I do." Loki had settled on his back and pretended not to notice as Clint and the puppy he was curled up with slowly seemed to migrate towards the god. "But right now you both need to get some sleep."

Clint hid a yawn and tucked his face into Caboose's soft fur. "S'long as you're here."

"I'm not going anywhere sweetheart." Loki waited a few seconds before reaching over to pull the covers over his two little charges. "Now go to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up, I promise."

That was all Clint needed. He'd already wrapped himself in his blanky and Caboose was chewing a corner of it. He fell asleep easily, feeling safe and content with Loki next to him and Caboose curled up in his side.

The next morning Bruce poked his head into Clint's room, wondering why Loki hadn't gotten Clint up yet. Usually the pair had already made their way downstairs by now.

What he found was Clint curled into his father's side. Caboose was a small ball on the god's chest and Loki himself had wrapped an arm around the child next to him. The three were still asleep and he could only assume that they were more tired than usual. Carefully, he snuck into the room and made for the puppy on Loki's chest, intent on taking the animal outside before an accident occurred. He figured Loki would not be happy if said accident occurred on him.

Just as Bruce went to pick up the puppy a slim hand wrapped around his wrist and a quiet growl made its way from the god's throat. Bruce raised an eyebrow and held back an amused smirk. "I'm just letting him out for a while. If you want I'll be more than happy to bring him back when he's done."

Loki cracked his eyes open, taking a moment to realize that he was acting this way because of that stupid _dog_. "Yes well, I just had to be sure you weren't an enemy. Clint would be devastated if anything happened to his puppy."

Bruce smiled and Loki fought the urge to scowl. "Right. That's it. I'll just be taking him now then." The scientist held back a chuckle and tucked the puppy closer to his chest as he walked out of the room.

Loki sighed and glanced down at Clint, who was happily cuddled into his side, wrapped in his blanky and Ranger hugged tightly in his arms. He figured he could tolerate the puppy if it meant seeing Clint happy. And it was just an added bonus that the thing tended to be so damn adorable.

_**Alright guys, I hate to say it, but there's only one more chapter with little Clint. Granted, the story won't end there, because things will not be all puppies and rainbows after. **_

_**Anyways, please review? I know this wasn't the best chapter but the next one will be better, and I love seeing what you guys think, what you like and don't like, etc. **_


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